Alabama football isn’t like most other schools in the SEC. There’s two uniform options: Home crimsons and road whites– no alternate jerseys, strange helmets, or shades of gray that the school insists on calling “anthracite.” 

During an exclusive interview with AL.com, Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer was asked to choose. Which of the two uniform options was his favorite?

DeBoer linked the answer to his love for Bryant-Denny Stadium.

“Man, there’s something about home games,” DeBoer said. “And I think a lot of it is what I’ve seen over the years myself, watching Alabama football, going back decades. And so, there’s something about the crimson, and it’s pretty special. The helmets, and just the consistency of what it’s looked like over so many years, it’s amazing. So it’s a blessing to be wearing it.”

DeBoer made one small alteration to the Crimson Tide’s look during his first season in charge. Alabama captains wore a “C” on their chests, a difference both in appearance and philosophy, as DeBoer named his permanent captains before the year began, something Nick Saban did after the season.

Alabama has worn different helmets in the past. The Tide had white lids throughout its history, most recently during the Ray Perkins era, over 40 years ago.

DeBoer was asked during the 2025 season if he could ever see a possible helmet change for his UA teams. The head coach said he’d never thought about it.

“There’s just a lot of pride in who we are and I’m sure that somewhere in the history, you can point to different-colored helmets being worn and maybe someone is for that,” DeBoer said on the SEC coaches’ teleconference. “But right now, we’re just keeping the focus on the main thing and that’s our play on the field and representing the crimson helmet the way we can, in the best way possible.”

Alabama is scheduled to begin DeBoer’s second season in charge, likely donning the road white jerseys for an Aug. 30 trip to Florida State.