Current:Home > StocksAlabama's Kalen DeBoer won't imitate LSU's Brian Kelly and adopt fake southern accent -Secure Growth Solutions
Alabama's Kalen DeBoer won't imitate LSU's Brian Kelly and adopt fake southern accent
View
Date:2025-04-16 18:10:10
Since he was hired as Alabama’s new football coach earlier this month, questions have swirled around Kalen DeBoer and whether the born-and-bred South Dakotan who has never coached farther south than Fresno, California can successfully acclimate to the ruthlessly competitive world of the SEC.
As DeBoer works to quell those doubts, he won’t be doing so with a newfound southern accent.
In an appearance Wednesday on “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN, the Crimson Tide coach was asked if he might change his accent in a similar way to LSU coach Brian Kelly, who infamously spoke at a Tigers men’s basketball game the day he was introduced as the school’s new football coach with a hilariously thick and outrageously contrived drawl.
With a laugh, DeBoer shot that possibility down.
DEBOER:Explains decision to leave Washington on 'The Pat McAfee Show'
“I think that would go wrong for me,” DeBoer said. “I know who I am. There’s some South Dakota in there. That’s who I am. We’ve just got to live with that. You got me for who I am.”
Kelly, who grew up in the Boston area and spent his entire coaching career in New England and the Midwest, was mocked for his December 2021 address to LSU fans for speaking with a little more molasses in his voice than usual. Much of the criticism and humor came from his pronunciation of the word ‘family.’
Kelly joked about it a month later while stopping in the ESPN booth during its broadcast of LSU’s appearance in the Texas Bowl.
As he works to try to replace legendary outgoing Alabama coach Nick Saban, DeBoer won’t be trying anything similar, though McAfee, the show’s eponymous host, thinks it may come with time.
“A year from now, though, you can’t help it with it being around,” McAfee said. “It’s going to inevitably happen. Hopefully, you’ll be down there the next 15-20 years just like Saban was doing great things.”
While it won’t be coming with a manufactured, Foghorn Leghorn-like accent, DeBoer is already putting in the work he’ll need to in order to succeed in Tuscaloosa. He joined McAfee’s show from the side of a road after he had pulled over while out recruiting.
veryGood! (2)
Related
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- Aaron Carter’s Twin Sister Angel Buries His Ashes
- Zendaya Visits Mural Honoring Euphoria Costar Angus Cloud After His Death
- White supremacist accused of threatening jury, witnesses in trial of Pittsburgh synagogue gunman
- 9/11 hearings at Guantanamo Bay in upheaval after surprise order by US defense chief
- The Complicated Aftermath of Anne Heche's Death
- Supreme Court temporarily blocks $6 billion Purdue Pharma-Sackler bankruptcy
- A rocket with a lunar landing craft blasts off on Russia’s first moon mission in nearly 50 years
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Judge Chutkan to hear arguments in protective order fight in Trump’s 2020 election conspiracy case
Ranking
- Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
- Police investigate shooting at Nashville library that left 2 people wounded
- Sweden stakes claim as Women’s World Cup favorite by stopping Japan 2-1 in quarterfinals
- Alabama panel approves companies to grow, distribute medical marijuana
- Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
- Photos: 'Whole town went and dissolved into ashes,' Hawaii lieutenant governor says
- Teen Social Media Star Lil Tay Confirms She's Alive And Not Dead After Hoax
- 'The term is a racial slur': New Washington Commanders owners dredge up painful history
Recommendation
Audit: California risked millions in homelessness funds due to poor anti-fraud protections
US government sanctions Russians on the board of Alfa Group in response to war in Ukraine
From Astronomy to Blockchain: The Journey of James Williams, the Crypto Visionary
From Astronomy to Blockchain: The Journey of James Williams, the Crypto Visionary
The 'Rebel Ridge' trailer is here: Get an exclusive first look at Netflix movie
Everything to know about the new COVID variant Eris—and tools to protect yourself
Shop Aerie's 40% Off Leggings and Sports Bras Sale for All Your Activewear & Athleisure Needs
Jason Momoa, Olivia Wilde and More Stars Share Devastation Over Maui Wildfire