Bama head coach sign in a new player into pratice squad
Alabama announced a new player yesterday night
title and a position in the College Football Playoff National Championship game last season, will take over as head coach.
As Nick Saban’s successor, DeBoer, 49, takes on one of the most desired and challenging positions in college football. Over his 17 seasons at the school, Saban’s teams won nine SEC titles and six national championships. With a 206-29 record at Alabama, Saban announced his retirement on Wednesday.
In a statement made public by the university, DeBoer stated, “I have always had an immense admiration for Alabama football and its commitment to excellence.” “This program has an unrivaled tradition-rich history in collegiate athletics, and I look forward to carrying that heritage forward in the future. Following Coach Saban is an honor. 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 We consider ourselves really fortunate, and my family and I are eager to settle into the Tuscaloosa neighborhood.”
DeBoer had told his Washington teammates and staff on Friday afternoon that he was heading to Alabama. On Friday night, he took a plane to Tuscaloosa, where he was scheduled to meet his new teammates.
When Kalen DeBoer arrives in Tuscaloosa, he welcomes the crowd.
Check out new Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer greeting the fans as he lands in Tuscaloosa.
DeBoer will be introduced at a press conference on Saturday at 2:00 PM ET.
According to sources who spoke with ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Troy Dannen, the athletic director at Washington, made a strong push to retain DeBoer by offering a new contract that would have more than doubled his current yearly pay of $4.2 million and placed him among the top 10 paid coaches in the FBS.
However, DeBoer declined it for Alabama and the SEC, so after agreeing to a two-year contract extension through the 2028 season in November, he will be obligated to pay Washington a $12 million buyout.
Even before three other potential candidates—Texas’ Steve Sarkisian, Florida State’s Mike Norvell, and Oregon’s Dan Lanning—withdrew from consideration and reaffirmed their commitment to their current universities over the course of the previous two days, DeBoer had been the Crimson Tide’s primary target.
According to Greg Byrne, athletic director of the Crimson Tide, “Coach DeBoer has demonstrated he is a winner and has done an exceptional job as a head coach at each of his locations.” “I mentioned to our squad the other day that we would have a new coach who is not just an excellent teacher with the Xs and Os, but also someone who genuinely cares about his players. I would like my sons to play for this coach, just as I would have wanted Coach Saban. That’s what Coach DeBoer told us. We anticipate him being in charge of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team for many years to come because he is prepared to go to work.”
Washington hired DeBoer in 2021 to revitalize the program following the Huskies’ 4-8 performance in Jimmy Lake’s second season as head coach. Washington’s high-flying attack was led by Indiana transfer Michael Penix Jr., and the Huskies more than doubled their win total in 2022 with an 11-2 record.
In order to make it to the College Football Playoffs for the second time in school history, Washington overcame rival Oregon 34–31 in the Pac-12 title game after going 12-0 during the regular season. On New Year’s Day, the Huskies defeated Texas 37-31 at the Allstate Sugar Bowl in a CFP semifinal.
The No. 1 Michigan team defeated Washington 34–13 in the CFP National Championship, sponsored by AT&T.
“Kalen DeBoer has been an incredible leader of our football team, and his accomplishments during his two seasons on Montlake will always remain a part of our legendary past,” a statement from Dannen said. “We tried everything to keep Kalen at UW, therefore we are sad to see him go. But in the end, he took a choice that benefited his family and advanced his career objectives.”
The peak of DeBoer’s explosive ascent to prominence as a coach during the last few seasons is his appointment at Alabama. At his alma mater, the University of Sioux Falls, an NAIA program in his native South Dakota, DeBoer set numerous records as a receiver before taking over as head coach in 2005. His squad finished 67-3 over the following five seasons and captured three NAIA national titles (in 2006, 2008, and 2009). Under DeBoer, the Cougars had a 17-2 record in the NAIA playoffs.
DeBoer took over as the head coach of Fresno State in 2020 after serving as the offensive coordinator at Indiana, Eastern Michigan, Southern Illinois, and Fresno State. Jeff Tedford was fired. In the COVID-19-affected season that year, the Bulldogs finished 3-3. In his second season, which featured victories over nationally ranked UCLA and San Diego State, they improved to 9-3.
