Alabama hires Washington’s Kalen DeBoer to replace Nick Saban as coach

By Christopher Kamrani, Bruce Feldman, Kennington Smith III and Chris Vannini

The man chosen to succeed the greatest college football coach in the history of the sport hails from rural South Dakota, which I’m sure some Crimson Tide fanatics have never heard of. At least until the last 72 hours.

Kalen DeBoer, known in the industry as both a program builder and an excavator, told his staff in Washington that he is accepting an offer from Alabama for Nick Saban’s former coaching job, team sources confirmed Friday. DeBoer met with his Washington team Friday afternoon to explain why he decided to move, the sources said.

The news of the hiring was officially announced by Alabama on Friday evening.

“Following Coach Saban is an honor,” DeBoer said in a school statement. “He has been the standard for college football and his success is unprecedented. I wasn’t going to leave Washington for just any school. “The chance to lead the football program at the University of Alabama is the opportunity of a lifetime.”

DeBoer, 49, went 25-3 in two years in Washington, leading the Huskies out of the frustrations of a 4-8 season under a previous coaching regime in 2021. Saban, who won six national championships while leading the program, shocked the sports world Wednesday afternoon when his retirement at age 72 was announced.

To DeBoer, Washington and its revitalized fan base aren’t even 48 hours past the pain of a 34-13 loss to Michigan in the College Football Playoff national championship Monday night in Houston.

“Kalen DeBoer was an exceptional leader of our football program and what he accomplished in two seasons at Montlake will forever be part of our history,” Washington athletic director Troy Dannen said. “We are sad to see him go and have done everything we can to keep Kalen at UW.”

While the pool of candidates to replace Saban ranged from trusted former assistants like Texas’ Steve Sarkisian to those trained under him like Oregon’s Dan Lanning, the list was slowly whittled down during the rapid process undertaken by Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne.

On Thursday morning, Lanning – Saban’s former graduate assistant – announced on social media that he would remain in Eugene. Sarkisian is close to finalizing a contract extension to remain with Texas.

Ultimately, it came down to DeBoer, Florida State coach Mike Norvell and Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees. Last Friday, Norvell and FSU agreed to a new deal.

In DeBoer, Byrne made what some might perceive as an unconventional hire, a man who has never coached in the SEC. At some point this fall, DeBoer hired super-agent college football coach Jimmy Sexton, who represents a majority of SEC coaches, including Saban.

“Coach DeBoer came in, he’s a winner and he’s done an incredible job as a head coach at each of his stops,” Byrne said Friday. “One of the things I told our team the other day is that we are going to have someone who is not only a great coach with the my kids because, just like I would have wanted them to play for Coach Saban. “We figured it out with Coach DeBoer.”

As seen over the last couple of days, several dominoes were set to tip in the direction of Byrne going all the way to Seattle to find his successor Saban.

There will be no rebuilding or pulling from the depths for DeBoer in Tuscaloosa. This is strictly a contest in which they compete for and win national titles every year they face. In Washington, DeBoer installed an offense that became the most entertaining in sports in 2023, highlighted by a Heisman Trophy finalist quarterback in Michael Penix Jr., three future NFL wideouts and the best offensive line in the country.

“I think it comes down to how he’s wired,” former Washington coach Chris Petersen said last month when asked what makes DeBoer such a great coach.

“Kalen is strong in his beliefs. He knows what he wants to do. He’s calm. He’s ready. “So-and-so just got hurt. So-and-so will move.’ I know it bothers him. But it’s not the end of the world, and he’s fluid,” Petersen continued. “For example, how do we continue to adapt and adapt? These are the things that really strike me. Yes, he is a really good offensive mind. Yes, he is a good organizer. In my opinion, this is further down the scale of what makes it special.

DeBoer was hired in November 2021 after two years leading Fresno State, where he went 12-6 and mentored future NFL quarterback Jake Haener. From 2005 to 2009, he won three NAIA national titles with Sioux Falls and had the program in the title game all five years in office. From 2010 to 2019, DeBoer traveled the country at various levels as offensive coordinator at Southern Illinois (2010-2013), Eastern Michigan (2014-2016), Fresno State (2017-2018) and Indiana ( 2019).

At every stop, DeBoer’s offensive philosophy of capitalizing on open space for playmakers and freedom for the quarterback has been among the best in the country.

“I think there is a foundation of what the system is, but it has a lot of flexibility to be able to grow and evolve. It will always be about our people. “It will be driven by the quarterback,” DeBoer said Atletico before the Sugar Bowl win over Texas. “The quarterback will be able to take us as far as he can with his skills and his understanding of the offense. But ultimately, he will work around the players we have. “We did it with the strength of our team which is the tight ends, we did it with the strength of our team which is the running backs, the receivers, we were successful in a lot of different ways.”

Over the past two years, the Huskies have gone 10-1 against top 25 teams. DeBoer is 12-2 all-time against ranked opponents. He was also dominant against his peers in the sport and some who were in the mix for the Alabama job. He was 3-0 against Lanning, 2-0 against Sarkisian and 1-0 against USC’s Lincoln Riley.

Washington was the No. 1 passing offense. 1 in the country in 2023 and 12th overall in terms of total crime. Although Alabama also qualified for the College Football Playoff, the Crimson Tide’s offense was no longer what it has been in recent years. He ranked 56th in total offense and 68th in passing offense.

Before the national title game, Washington defensive lineman Faatui Tuitele said Atletico that DeBoer fixed a broken locker room.

“Our culture was really damaged during that time, but then Coach DeBoer came along,” he said. “Everything was so amazing. “He really changed our culture for the better.”

In Alabama, the culture is that of Nick Saban and the fight for titles since 2007. But those who know DeBoer well believe that he is made for such circumstances.

“Kalen has a humble swagger about him,” said a former Washington staffer who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Her temperament is truly unique. She doesn’t swear. She remains very consistent all the time.

What will Alabama look like under DeBoer?

Recruiting and retaining Alabama’s roster are top priority, as evidenced by wide receiver Isaiah Bond entering the transfer portal on Friday. The best way for DeBoer to do this is to assemble his coaching staff with as much urgency as his head coaching search.

The first question is: which of Alabama’s current coaches will retain DeBoer? Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, who interviewed for the head coaching position this week, is of particular interest, and secondary coach Travaris Robinson, a valuable assistant and recruiter within the Southern imprint, is likely a coach high priority for DeBoer to keep on staff.

Three assistant coaching positions are vacant: wide receivers, outside linebackers and defensive coordinator. The wide receiver position is perhaps the most important position to fill, as securing that position as soon as possible will help Alabama’s chances of regaining the commitment of 2024 five-star Ryan Williams, who decommitted from Alabama during training camp of Saban and is signing during late signing day in February.

Overall, finalizing the coaching staff and mobilizing to maintain the current roster and begin recruiting the 2025 class is DeBoer’s first major assignment as Alabama’s coach.

What is the future of Washington?

As for what’s in store for Washington, it remains to be seen whether DeBoer will bring offensive coordinator and longtime training partner Ryan Grubb with him to Tuscaloosa. Ironically, Saban offered Grubb the offensive coordinator position last offseason, but Grubb turned it down to see how far the 2023 Huskies could go.

Regardless of whether Grubb moves on, Washington will be a different team next season. A slew of stars are leaving, including Penix and wide receiver Rome Odunze, although former Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers has transferred. UW is also heading to the Big Ten, where the competition will be tougher and the Huskies will be at a financial disadvantage, not receiving a full conference share.

Grubb would be an easy internal promotion. Potential outside names could include Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell, Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch, Kansas head coach Lance Leipold, Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake, Cal head coach Justin Wilcox, San Jose State head coach Brent Brennan, Washington State head coach Jake Dickert, former Auburn/Boise State coach Bryan Harsin and coach New Mexico boss Bronco Mendenhall.

But new athletic director Troy Dannen just arrived in Seattle from Tulane in October, which means this search could go in numerous directions.

Mandatory reading

(Photo: Alika Jenner/Getty Images)