Kalen Deboer Crashes Players Meeting to Jolt Alabama

Kadyn Proctor on Alabama’s Energy Shift

But that extra spark didn’t come from a veteran player — it came from the head coach himself.

“Coach DeBoer was actually in there, and he had his two cents to say, even though it was a players-only meeting,” left tackle Kadyn Proctor said.

“He had to get some stuff off our chest. He just brought that energy. You can’t be flat or you’re going to lose. It definitely helped when coach DeBoer came in there and brought that energy, no doubt.”

Proctor said the meeting’s goals were checked off in the rout over ULM, as Alabama rotated heavily on the offensive line and gave younger players valuable snaps.

“We played fast and I’m just really proud of everybody that got in there,” Proctor told SI. “I want to see Jackson Lloyd out there, Michael Carroll out there, Joe Ionata, guys that don’t get too many opportunities, but they took advantage of it for sure.”

Germie Bernard Stresses Consistency

Bernard, one of Alabama’s few bright spots against Florida State, followed his breakout with three catches for 67 yards and two touchdowns by halftime on Saturday. He stressed that Alabama can’t let up.

“Just staying on the gas pedal, man,” Bernard said. “We had a players meeting last week after the game. We talked about what we needed to do and how we’re going to sustain all that energy. We’re going to meet tomorrow again and re-harp on the same things. We have to continue to go hard each day at practice.” https://www.si.com/college/alabama/football/non-alabama-player-brought-energy-players-only-meeting-01k4h58x070z

For DeBoer, the uninvited appearance at a “players-only” meeting may have been unconventional, but early results show it worked.