Alabama moved quickly after their legendary head coach, Nick Saban, surprisingly announced his retirement earlier this week. The university tabbed Washington’s Kalen DeBoer to serve as the new head coach of the Crimson Tide.
Alabama officially confirmed DeBoer’s arrival on Friday evening.
Saban decided to retire after spending 17 seasons with Alabama and winning six national titles. Crimson Tide was eliminated in this year’s College Football Playoffs in the semifinals by Michigan, which ended up being crowned the champions.
“Following coach Saban is an honor,” DeBoer said in a statement. “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.”
It is unclear whether DeBoer was Alabama’s first choice for replacing Saban. Athletic director Greg Byrne reportedly reached out to several former assistants of Saban, including Texas’ Steve Sarkisian and Oregon’s Dan Lanning. However, both decided to stay with their current programs, leaving Florida State’s Mike Norvell and Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees on the final list of candidates alongside DeBoer.
Kalen DeBoer comes with a reputation as a program builder and a coach with a track record of winning. He had his first head coaching job with Sioux Falls in 2005, leading the Cougars to a 67-3 record in five seasons. DeBoer then spent time with several programs as an offensive coordinator before landing the top job at Fresno State in 2020.
After two successful seasons with Fresno State, DeBoer was hired to resurrect the Washington Huskies, which went 4-8 in 2021. He did just that, compiling a 25-3 record in two years and making the CPF in his second season in charge.
