While introducing Kalen DeBoer at SEC media days, the league’s commissioner, Greg Sankey, noted that Alabama football’s head coach had achieved the school’s best first season in charge since Frank Thomas. Still, the nine-win 2024 campaign disappointed Alabama football fans.

That’s a sentiment DeBoer shared. On Wednesday, speaking to reporters in Atlanta, he was asked whether his first year had met Alabama’s standard.

“If you internally ask us, no,” DeBoer said. “We fell short of making the playoffs. It’s as simple as that, right? Giving yourself a chance to go compete for a championship. I think there’s a lot of things that I’m super proud of that have happened within the program that are part of the progression. Yeah, we want it right now, too.”

2024 was the first time Alabama failed to win at least 10 games since Nick Saban’s first season, 2007. The Crimson Tide had plenty of chances to make the College Football Playoff, but losses to Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma caused UA to fall just short of inclusion.

Instead, DeBoer and company played in the ReliaQuest Bowl, where they lost to a depleted Michigan team.

“Yeah, we fell short,” DeBoer continued at SEC media days. “Our guys, again, I’m proud of them and the way they’ve responded to us not realizing the goals that we set out to have, getting back to work, focusing on the main thing. I feel that’s always been the case.

“Sometimes there’s ups and downs that you have to go through unfortunately that we had to experience. But in the end, we’re going to take advantage of the failures we’ve had and be better because of it.”

DeBoer revealed at media days that the Crimson Tide will begin preseason camp on July 30, exactly two weeks from Wednesday. Alabama will open the coach’s second season in charge with an Aug. 30 trip to Florida State.