The biggest domino in the college football coaching carousel is about to fall.
Kalen DeBoer will replace Nick Saban at Alabama. That means the Washington Huskies job is opening and there will be many candidates for that position as the Huskies transition to the Big Ten.
Kalen DeBoer has agreed to a deal to replace Nick Saban as @AlabamaFTBL’s head coach, sources tell ESPN. DeBoer led Washington to a Pac-12 title and the CFP title game in his second season at UDub. He’s won 11 or more games in seven of his nine seasons as a head coach.
— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) January 12, 2024
DeBoer was 14-1 year with Washington, winning the Pac-12 Championship and defeating Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinal before losing to Michigan.
Over his nine seasons as a head football coach, DeBoer has compiled a 104-12.
A school-record setting wide receiver at the University of Sioux Falls (S.D.), DeBoer later led his alma mater to three NAIA National Championships in five seasons as head coach, winning the title in 2006, 2008 and 2009, while also finishing as runner-up in 2007 and making the semifinals in his first season as head coach, in 2005.
During his five seasons at Sioux Falls, DeBoer compiled a 67-3 overall record, including a 49-1 mark in Great Plains Athletic Conference play. In two seasons at Fresno State, he had a 12-6 overall record, giving him a career record of 79-9. He was NAIA National Coach of the Year in each of his three championship seasons at USF.
DeBoer steps into a huge job and replacing Saban, who won six national championships with the Crimson Tide, will be a monumental task.
With Kalen DeBoer’s move final, Alabama owes Washington about $12 million in buyout money. That, combined with DeBoer’s likely $10M+ salary, makes this an incredibly expensive move from the Crimson Tide – a commitment of near or over $100 million.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) January 12, 2024