Alabama hires Kalen DeBoer as head football coach: ESPN

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WIAT) — Alabama hired Washington’s Kalen DeBoer as its new head football coach, according to ESPN on Friday.

DeBoer is succeeding Nick Saban, who announced his retirement Wednesday after leading the Crimson Tide to six national championships in 17 seasons.

Yahoo Sports reporter Ross Dellenger reports that Alabama will owe Washington roughly $12 million to buy out his contract, along with a salary expected to be $10 million or more.

As Washington’s head coach, DeBoer went 25-3 and led the Huskies to the national championship game last season, where they fell to Michigan. The Huskies were undefeated before the championship contest and entered the College Football Playoff as the No. 2 seed.

A South Dakota native, DeBoer has no experience coaching in the SEC. His first head coaching job was with his alma mater Sioux Falls from 2005-09, winning three National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics championships and compiling a 67-3 record in that span. DeBoer then moved up to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision as the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach for Southern Illinois.

Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer watches during the first half of the national championship NCAA College Football Playoff game against Michigan on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Following four campaigns with the Salukis, DeBoer reached the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as Eastern Michigan’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under head coach Chris Creighton. In 2016, the Eagles made their first bowl game since 1987 with a berth in the Bahamas Bowl.

DeBoer took his talents to the West Coast in 2017, where he assumed the same coaching positions at Fresno State. In his first stint with the Bulldogs, the former wide receiver helped Fresno State win the Mountain West Conference Championship in 2018 and two bowl games.

It was time for DeBoer to test the waters at the Power 5 level, as he continued his role as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Indiana in 2019. The Hoosiers finished 8-5, matching their highest win total in 26 seasons. Their total offense ranked No. 3 in the Big Ten.

Over a decade since he was last a head coach, DeBoer received the chance to be the head man at Fresno State in 2020. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, the Bulldogs went 3-3 and produced a Mountain West-best 479.3 yards of total offense per game.

The next season, Fresno State ranked among the top 25 nationally in scoring defense, tackles for loss, takeaways, fumble recoveries, third-down conversion defense and fourth-down conversion defense. The Bulldogs downed No. 13 UCLA and No. 21 San Diego State en route to a 10-win campaign capped off by a New Mexico Bowl victory.

Three years after receiving his first taste of Power 5 football, DeBoer was handed the reins in Seattle as Washington’s head coach. He wasted no time winning with the Huskies in 2022, as he defeated No. 11 Michigan State in Week 3.

The Huskies suffered back-to-back losses in the middle of the campaign at UCLA and Arizona State but rebounded later on with triumphs versus No. 23 Oregon State and at No. 6 Oregon. Washington’s season ended with an Alamo Bowl championship against No. 20 Texas, compiling an 11-2 record with former Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. under center.

The sleeping giant on the West Coast put it all together in 2023. With Penix back as the starter, Washington beat No. 8 Oregon, No. 18 Utah and No. 11 Oregon State in its perfect regular season. The Huskies won the Pac-12 Championship Game over No. 5 Oregon to claim a spot in the College Football Playoff, where they won, 37-31, in the Sugar Bowl semifinal versus third-seeded Texas.

Washington coach Kalen DeBoer smiles after the team’s victory over Oregon in the Pac-12 championship NCAA college football game Friday, Dec. 1, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

It wasn’t a great showing for Washington in the national championship game against first-seeded Michigan, as the Huskies suffered their first loss in over a year by falling, 34-13. Penix led the nation with 4,903 passing yards. Washington’s scoring offense checked in at No. 13, though its total defense was 96th best.

By taking the Alabama job, DeBoer is diving into the SEC head first. He’ll now lead a storied program that’s produced 18 national championships, 30 SEC titles and four Heisman Trophy winners. Though DeBoer is 104-12 in his head coaching career, he’ll face new challenges and opponents in the SEC.

Alabama’s first game of the 2024 campaign will be against Western Kentucky on Aug. 31 at Bryant-Denny Stadium.