TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Before leading No. 5 Alabama to a 63-0 blowout over Western Kentucky during his Crimson Tide debut this weekend, Kalen DeBoer passed on a message from his predecessor to his players.

During his Monday press conference, DeBoer revealed that he received a phone call from retired head coach Nick Saban, wishing him good luck while extending a message of his own to the team.

“He wanted me to pass along that he’s thinking about them and wishing them the best and was gonna be rooting for them,” DeBoer said of Saban. “You can just tell how much he cares, not just about the program but the individuals within it. Wanted to make sure I passed that along because I think that was important for them to hear, important for both ends.”

Saban began Saturday in College Station, Texas while on set for his new job as an analyst for ESPN’s College Gameday. From there, he flew to Tuscaloosa in time to take in Alabama’s opener against Western Kentucky from a box inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Saban will also be present at this week’s game against South Florida as Alabama will dedicate the playing surface inside Bryant-Denny Stadium to him, renaming it Saban Field.

“It’s gonna be an awesome night,” DeBoer said. “Having the field named in honor of coach, that’s really, really something special. It’s one of those things where you’re gonna play in it, you know what’s happening, but being a part of the ceremony is something the team really can’t do.

“We’re in the middle of probably pregame meal and some of that type of prep work, but just to have the whole honor for coach Saban, everything he’s done here, I know much that would mean to him and it’s something that I know we have a lot of respect for. Gonna make sure that we continue to do everything we can to make it our house and protect our field from here on out, just like it’s been in the 17 years that he was here.”

Alabama and South Florida are set to kick off at 6 p.m. CT on Saturday. The game will be televised on ESPN.