Alabama has moved quickly to identify Nick Saban’s successor as head football coach. Washington coach Kalen DeBoer, 49, has informed his team that he will be accepting the Crimson Tide job to replace the legendary Saban, who announced his retirement on Wednesday after 17 seasons leading the program, according to multiple reports.
DeBoer’s buyout to leave the Huskies stands at $12 million.
Leading the Huskies to a 14-1 record this past season, including a 34-13 loss in the College Football Playoff National Championship to Michigan, DeBoer has emerged as one of the best coaches in college football across two seasons at Washington, going 25-3 with a pair of top-10 finishes and a Pac-12 championship.
To begin his head-coaching career, DeBoer led his alma mater, Sioux Falls, to 67 wins over five seasons with three NAIA national championships from 2005-09 before moving to Division I as an assistant with stops at Southern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Fresno State and Indiana. He was then hired as Fresno State coach prior to the 2020 season before landing at Washington ahead of the 2022 season. DeBoer’s record across all divisions is an outstanding 104-12 (.897).
Accolades for DeBoer this season included not just a Pac-12 title and CFP appearance but also multiple national Coach of the Year honors, including here at CBS Sports.
The Washington program had just gone through an uncharacteristic 4-8 season prior to DeBoer’s arrival, and it was difficult work to spark the immediate turnaround to Pac-12 title contention and 11 wins in Year 1. But what DeBoer showed in his ability to retain talent amid that turnaround could be a huge key to his first couple of seasons in with the Crimson Tide.
Alabama is not in the wake of a losing season, but there are going to be plenty of opportunities elsewhere for blue-chip prospects who had initially committed to be coached by Saban. Players currently on the roster also have 30 days to enter the transfer portal. DeBoer needs to win over those players like he did many of the veterans who helped lead Washington’s 2023 playoff run. That, plus key staff decisions, will keep DeBoer busy in his first days and weeks on the job in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Success against big-time opponents
There is little room to question DeBoer’s track record as an on-field tactician. In his brief head-coaching career, DeBoer is 3-0 against Oregon coach Dan Lanning, 2-0…
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