For years, the biggest hypothetical surrounding Alabama’s football program was who would eventually replace Nick Saban as the Crimson Tide’s next coach. Friday, that question was answered
According to multiple reports, Washington's Kalen DeBoer will become Alabama's next football coach. The 49-year-old Milbank South Dakota native is the 28th head coach in program history and will have bigger shoes to fill than any of his predecessors.
“I have always had an incredible respect for Alabama football and its commitment to excellence,” DeBoer said through a release from Alabama. “The tradition-rich history of this program is unmatched across the landscape of college athletics, and I look forward to continuing that moving forward.
"Following Coach Saban is an honor. He has been the standard for college football, and his success is unprecedented. I would not have left Washington for just any school. The chance to lead the football program at The University of Alabama is the opportunity of a lifetime. My family and I feel truly blessed and look forward to becoming a part of the Tuscaloosa community."
DeBoer coached Washington to a 25-3 record the last two years. This past season, he led the Huskies to a 14-1 record and a Pac-12 title, beating Texas in the Sugar Bowl before falling to Michigan in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. He earned the Coach of the Year honors from the Associated Press, AFCA, Eddie Robinson, George Munger, Walter Camp and Home Depot.
According to ESPN, Washington fought hard to keep DeBoer in Seattle, offering him a contract that would more than double his current annual salary of $4.2 million and make him one of the top 10 highest-paid coaches in college football.
DeBoer's buyout at Washington is $12 million. He signed a two-year contract extension through the 2028 season in November.
Saban is a known hater of hypotheticals, and Alabama didn’t waste any time answering this one. Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne made the hire less than 72 hours after Saban announced his retirement Wednesday afternoon. Byrne also lived up to his nickname, “The Ninja,” landing DeBoer after early reports linked Alabama to Oregon’s Dan Lanning.
“Coach DeBoer has proven he is a winner and has done an incredible job as a head coach at each of his stops," Byrne said. "One of the things I told our team the other day is we are going to get someone who is not only a great coach with the Xs and Os, but also someone who cares about his players and someone I’d want my sons to play for, just like I would have wanted them to play for Coach Saban. We got that in Coach DeBoer. He is ready to get to work, and we look forward to him leading the Alabama Crimson Tide football program for years to come."
Bringing in DeBoer is an example of Byrne’s out-of-the-box thinking, which proved to be successful with the hiring of Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats in 2019.
Like Oats, DeBoer comes to Alabama with no experience working in the South. While that didn’t stop Oats from building talented rosters on the hardwood, there are concerns over whether DeBoer’s unfamiliarity with the region will prove to be a stumbling block in the SEC’s ultra-competitive recruiting scene.
Still, it’s easy to see why Alabama is interested in DeBoer’s coaching acumen. Viewed as one of the brightest offensive minds in the game, he put together a passing attack that led the nation in 2022 and ranked second last year.
Washington averaged 343.7 yards per game through the air over 15 games last season. Much of that was due to Heisman finalist quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who broke out in DeBoer’s wide-open setup after transferring in from Indiana during the head coach’s first season in Seattle. Penix completed 65.4% of his passes while piling up 9,544 yards and 67 touchdowns through the air during his two seasons with DeBoer.
One of the more intriguing aspects of the DeBoer hire is how his offense will look with the talent he’ll have to work with at Alabama. While his Washington teams featured several future NFL stars, DeBoer has developed a penchant for doing more with less during his coaching career.
Before joining Washington, he led Fresno State to a 12-6 record during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He also dominated at the NAIA level, leading his alma mater, Sioux Falls, to three national titles while posting a 67-3 record from 2005-09.
In addition to his head coaching experience, DeBoer served as an offensive coordinator at Indiana (2019), Fresno State (2017-18), Eastern Michigan (2014-16), Southern Illinois (2010-13) and Sioux Falls (2000-04).
DeBoer began his coaching career overseeing receivers at Sioux Falls in 1997. He spent the following two seasons as an assistant for Washington High School in South Dakota before rejoining his alma mater as its offensive coordinator.
