Nick Saban was replaced at Alabama by Kalen DeBoer, leaving him the national runner-up Saban, 72, of Washington, who has won seven national championships, announced his retirement on Wednesday.

 

 

 

 

Finding Nick Saban’s replacement did not take long for Alabama, as Kalen DeBoer was hired from national runner-up Washington.

Two days after Saban, 72, announced his retirement, the elite program selected DeBoer to succeed him on Friday.

DeBoer declared in a statement that he “wouldn’t have gone to any old school in Washington.” However, he claimed that being Alabama’s coach “is the opportunity of a lifetime.”

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 a yearly expectation of that kind of performance.

In 17 seasons, Saban guided the Crimson Tide to six national titles. He leaves behind enormous shoes to fill and unrealistic expectations at the program that Saban elevated to even greater heights than Paul “Bear” Bryant helped establish.

Saban’s seven championships set a significant collegiate 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.

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. Even though he played college football at a lower level, he has also won national titles.

At the tiny, Baptist-affiliated institution in the biggest city in South Dakota, DeBoer won three NAIA titles while leading his alma mater, Sioux Falls, to a 67-3 record from 2005 to 2009. Later, he excelled right away at Fresno State, where he went 12-6 between 2020 and 21, with nine victories in his second 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 veteran NFL defensive coordinator Nick Saban, DeBoer, who coached Michael Penix Jr., the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy the previous season, provides an offensive background to the team. Before taking over for Bulldogs coach Jeff Tedford, he worked as offensive coordinator for one year at Indiana after serving as the coordinator for 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.

After winning 11-2 at Washington in 2022, DeBoer signed an extension that increased his compensation to $4.2 million US with further increments to $4.8 million in the last year of the deal (2028). It also contained 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 around $11.1 million this year.