Iron Bowl week is not the first time Kalen DeBoer has heard about the iconic rivalry. Far from it.

Try January.

“Ever since I’ve been here, I think I hear about it every day,” DeBoer said Monday. “So understand what it means. The excitement.”

DeBoer is set to coach in his first Iron Bowl matchup as coach of Alabama football on Saturday (2:30 p.m. CT, ABC) at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

“This game, what it means to those that come from each side,” DeBoer said. “What it means to the state to talk about, not just told to me, but talked about amongst everyone in their homes. It’s Thanksgiving weekend so if you’re not at the game you’re watching it with your friends and your family. I’ve heard stories of families being divided because of it, many different ways. That’s what rivalry games are all about and this is a rivalry that’s on another level.”

DeBoer didn’t have a particular story he’s heard about the Iron Bowl that he could share, but he is well aware of what took place a year ago when his quarterback Jalen Milroe beat Auburn on fourth-and-31, the play that became known as Gravedigger.

“That’s, I think, probably pretty reminiscent of what both sides are looking at as far as the effort it’s gonna take and playing for four quarters, playing every second, every play like it’s your last,” DeBoer said. “So that’s the intensity of it.”

Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.