This is an opinion column.

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There was a miniature schnauzer outside Bryant-Denny Stadium on the Saturday that Alabama introduced its new coach.

The pup’s name was Duke Saban, and it was resting in the cradled arms of Alabama fan Kendall Gunnels. Pup Saban looked a little uncomfortable on this day of days, but he seemed happy. That’s not a metaphor, by the way, it’s just a reported observation about a cute dog named Duke Saban.

Duke Saban was wearing a collar that read “Duke,” but, oddly, in the style of the Duke Blue Devils. He didn’t seem to mind either. Duke Saban had good energy, and enjoyed pets.

Duke Saban was named after the 27th football coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, Nick Saban, who retired last week and is now just another fan with a pet dog.

These are days of change, but aren’t they all?

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There will be plenty of time to write about football coaches changing jobs, but, on the day of the unknown coach replacing the popular coach, I was drawn to the people standing outside the fancy welcoming party for the mega-donors who flew in on their private planes. They’re important, too, but the fans standing in the cold and keeping the fire burning for a coach from South Dakota by way of Seattle is the type of thing that makes college football in this state so special.

Gunnels and Duke Saban were waiting, along with a couple hundred other fans, to catch a glimpse of newly hired football coach Kalen DeBoer.

“We wanted to be out here and pay tribute and then also support the new coach,” said Tracy Bevis, the woman standing next to Kendall. “We’re super excited.”

Bevis then told me that her grandfather, Gary Harrison, “drove Bear Bryant’s bus.”

What bus, I asked?

“The football bus,” she said.

Gunnels, Bevis and their families — all women and girls — came from Florence, Ala., and Athens, Ala., for the big day. They attended the gymnastics meet the night before. They’re also enormous fans of Alabama softball.

“Is Coach DeBoer’s daughter going to play for Alabama?” Gunnels asked me.

I was impressed by her familiarity with the new coach. Alabama fans know their stuff. Alexis DeBoer, daughter of the new coach, is an excellent softball player. She was committed to play for Washington before her father changed jobs.

It was chilly in the shadow of the stadium. Off to the right stood the statues of all the national championship coaches that built this cultural symbol of power and clout. It was a memorable scene there at the Walk of Champions. A couple nights before, on the day Saban announced his retirement, hundreds more fans gathered around Saban’s statue and left offerings in the spirit of a memorial shrine. Alabama football can feel like this oversized, larger-than-life thing, and especially on days like the introduction of a new coach, but it’s the everyday, generational fans who allow it to be so important.

The coaches change. The players leave. The fans are forever.

Then, sometimes, if a school is lucky, the former players and famous coaches become diehard fans, too. That’s college football. That’s the thing DeBoer now represents along with a lot of other responsibilities, too.

Gunnels and Duke Saban were outside shivering for an idea more than a man. That’s fandom. That’s love. Inside the warm stadium, a few dozen yards away, Alabama’s new football coach was introduced to the university’s dignitaries, boosters and the Sabans. Roses of crimson decorated the stage. Nervous energy danced amid a ceremony without music. DeBoer looked exhausted. Saban looked refreshed. A small army of reporters chronicled everything. They were all witnessing the same thing, a changing of the guard for a state treasure held in the public trust.

DeBoer will have a good shot to win a national championship in his first season at Alabama. That’s my initial read of Alabama’s new coach and the loaded team he’s inheriting. As Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said, just take a look at the schedule.

It’s important for Saban to be around in these transitional days so all of his players don’t leave. For Saban’s sake — and I mean Duke Saban, of course — I’m hoping that DeBoer can keep everything together. Alabama is lucky to have athletics director Greg Byrne. Credit goes to Byrne for hiring DeBoer so quickly and keeping the Sabans happy and in the fold. Coaching changes can be messy, but Byrne is a pro’s pro.

“Today marks a new day of Alabama football,” said Alabama president Stuart R. Bell, “and I’m filled with anticipation for what lies ahead.”

Bell understands the importance of Alabama football. It’s everything and then some and it’s by design.

As Bell spoke, the colossal stadium towered above the fans standing outside. They wanted to see the new coach and give him their words of encouragement. When he emerged, everyone ran to greet him.

“Come on,” screamed Gunnels while carrying Duke Saban in her arms, “let’s follow him.”

The names of Alabama’s legends lined the Walk of Champions. The statues of the championship coaches looked on. There was a dog, there was the Bear, there was a GOAT and, finally, there was DeBoer.

Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the most controversial sports book ever written, “We Want Bama”. It’s a love story about wild times, togetherness and rum.