Kalen DeBoer made his exit known.
alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer declare his retirement
DeBoer was hired away from Washington, the national runner-up. Two days after the 72-year-old coach announced his retirement, the powerful program selected DeBoer on Friday, January 12, 2024, to succeed Saban. In a statement, DeBoer claims that he “would not have left Washington for just any institution.” However, he claims that being Alabama’s coach “is the opportunity of a lifetime.” With the Crimson Tide, Saban won six national championships; all told, he won seven. In his two seasons at Washington, DeBoer finished with a 25-3 record. He has a 104-12 career record in collegiate football at all levels.
Enhanced edition:
UNTATED (AP) – Finding Nick Saban’s replacement did not take long for Alabama, as Kalen DeBoer was hired away from Washington, the national runner-up.
Two days after the 72-year-old coach announced his retirement, the powerful program selected DeBoer on Friday, January 12, 2024, to succeed Saban.
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.
“Its dedication to excellence and the Alabama football program are things I have always greatly respected,” DeBoer stated in a statement made public by the school on Friday night. “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 demonstrated he is a winner and has done an exceptional job as a head coach at each of his locations.” “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 College Football Playoff semifinals, won the Pac-12 Championship, and fell 34–13 to No. 1 Michigan in the national championship game. The Associated Press coach of the year was awarded to DeBoer.
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 amazing leader of our football team and what he did in two seasons on Montlake will forever be a part of our legendary 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.
JANUARY 12, 2024:
UNTATED (AP) – According to a source with firsthand knowledge of the negotiations, Alabama is nearing the hiring of Kalen DeBoer, the coach of Washington, to succeed Nick Saban. The conversations began on Friday, January 12, 2024.
Because the deal was not finalized, the person talked to The Associated Press under the condition of anonymity.
In just his second season, 49-year-old DeBoer—a former NAIA coach—led Washington to the national title game.
The Crimson Tide will have DeBoer in place of Saban, who announced his retirement on Wednesday after steering the team to six national titles in 17 seasons.
The quickly rising DeBoer guided the Huskies to a 14-1 record and a Pac-12 Championship before they were defeated 34–13 by No. 1 Michigan in the national championship game. The Associated Press coach of the year was bestowed to him.
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.
From 2005 to 2009, DeBoer guided his former school, Sioux Falls, to a 67-3 record and three NAIA titles. Sioux Falls is the largest city in South Dakota and is a tiny, Baptist-affiliated school. Later, he saw quick success at Fresno State, finishing 12-6 in his first two seasons there in 2020–21.
He would succeed a coach at Alabama who set a major college record seven national titles, one of which was at LSU. Since taking home the national championship in 2009, the third season under head coach Nick Saban, the Crimson Tide have been in the running nearly every season.
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. Before taking Jeff Tedford’s position at Indiana for a year, he served as offensive coordinator at Fresno State in 2017 and 2018.
In 1996, DeBoer, an All-America receiver at Sioux Falls, contributed to the Cougars’ first-ever national title victory. 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.
