Nick Saban was replaced at Alabama by Kalen DeBoer, leaving national runner-up Washington
Finding a Nick Saban replacement did not take long for Alabama, as they hired Kalen DeBoer from Washington, the national runner-up.
Two days after Saban, 72, announced his retirement, the elite program selected DeBoer to succeed him on Friday.
Former NAIA coach DeBoer, 49, guided Washington to the national title game in his second season of coaching. He now takes over a program where Saban established an annual expectation of that kind of performance.
“I have always held a deep regard for Alabama football and its unwavering dedication to excellence,” DeBoer stated in a statement made public by the school on Friday evening. “This program has an unrivaled tradition-rich history in collegiate athletics, and I look forward to carrying that heritage forward in the future.
It is a privilege to follow Coach Saban. He has set the bar for college football, and his accomplishments are unheard of. I would not have gone to any old school in Washington. The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to oversee the University of Alabama football program.
Alabama withheld information about DeBoer’s contract until its board of trustees gave formal permission.
Following 17 seasons and six national titles with the Crimson Tide, Nick Saban announced his retirement on Wednesday. He leaves behind enormous expectations and a program that Paul “Bear” Bryant helped create and that Saban elevated to much greater heights.
Saban’s seven championships set a significant college record. He also won a national championship at LSU. Since winning their first national championship in 17 years in 2009, during Saban’s third season, the Crimson Tide have been in the running for the title almost every season.
It is up to a coach who has led a Power Five program for just two years to uphold that level.
Greg Byrne, the athletic director at Alabama, stated, “Coach DeBoer has proven he is a winner and has done an incredible job as a head coach at each of his stops.” “We are going to get someone who is not only an excellent coach with the Xs and Os, but also someone who cares about his players. I would want my sons to play for this person, just as I would have wanted Coach Saban,” I mentioned to our squad the other day.
“We have Coach DeBoer for that.”
This season, the Huskies had a 14-1 record thanks to the quick rise of DeBoer. Washington defeated Texas in the semifinals of the College Football Playoffs, took home the Pac-12 title, then fell short against No. 1 Michigan.
After assuming command of the Huskies, which had a 4-8 record in 2021, DeBoer guided them to a 25-3 record in two seasons. He is the first coach in Washington history to win 11 games in a row while also taking home two Pac-12 coach of the year awards.
Even though he played collegiate football at a lower level, DeBoer has also won national titles.
From 2005 to 2009, DeBoer guided his former school, Sioux Falls, to a 67-3 record. At the small, Baptist-affiliated school in the capital city of South Dakota, he won three NAIA titles. Later, he excelled right away at Fresno State, where he went 12-6 between 2020 and 21 with nine victories in his second season.
That’s an overall career mark of 104-12, or 89.7%.
DeBoer went 11-2 in 2022 and won Pac-12 coach of the year twice, becoming the first Washington coach to win 11 or more games in a season. DeBoer is 18-3 as a head coach in postseason games, and the Huskies are 10-1 versus ranked teams.
With a squad anchored by quarterback Jalen Milroe and a roster strengthened by a streak of highly regarded recruiting classes, Alabama’s short-term expectations won’t alter.
In place of former NFL defensive coordinator Nick Saban, DeBoer, who coached Michael Penix Jr., the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy last season, brings an offensive track record. In 2017 and 2018, he served as offensive coordinator for Fresno State. Before taking over for Bulldogs coach Jeff Tedford at Indiana, he worked in the same capacity there for a year.
At Sioux Falls, DeBoer was an All-America receiver who contributed to the Cougars’ 1996 national title success. After serving as a high school coach in Sioux Falls, he returned in 2000 to take on the role of offensive coordinator, but he continued to train receivers until then.
After Washington went 11-2 in 2022, DeBoer signed an extension that increased his compensation to $4.2 million with further increments to $4.8 million in the last year of the contract (2028). It also included a $12 million buyout increase in the event that DeBoer left to take a new position.
Last year, DeBoer brought on powerful agent Jimmy Sexton, who also represents Saban. In 2022, Saban signed an eight-year contract worth at least $93.6 million, which includes approximately $11.1 million this year.
Athletic director Troy Dannen of the Huskies remarked, “Kalen DeBoer has been an outstanding leader of our football program and what he accomplished in two seasons on Montlake will forever be a part of our storied history.” We tried everything to keep Kalen at UW, therefore we are sad to see him go. But in the end, he chose a course of action that benefited his family and advanced his career objectives.
