It was just two days ago when the Alabama Crimson Tide faced a significant challenge, with the legendary Nick Saban announcing his decision to retire from his position as head coach. Naturally, a string of reports quickly followed, speculating on which coach would pursue a chance at arguably the most desirable head coaching job in college football.
While it hasn’t been long since Saban’s announcement, Alabama’s football team has also seen some players de-commit from the program, including a five-star recruit. Without a solution in place, the risk of more players deciding to play elsewhere for a coach they know will be sticking around loomed large.
Yet, the Crimson Tide have acted quickly, identifying their top candidate.
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Kalen DeBoer set to replace Nick Saban as new head coach of Alabama Crimson Tide
According to ESPN’s college football insider Pete Thamel, Washington Huskies coach Kalen DeBoer is currently negotiating a contract to become the next head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide. He has since informed Washington officials that he’s accepting the Alabama job.
DeBoer, who is coming off a loss to Michigan in the College Football Playoff National Championship, will have very big shoes to fill in Alabama. Yet, DeBoer, who has just four seasons of head coaching experience in college football, is viewed as a rising star after leading Washington to a phenomenal 25-3 record over the past two years.
Prior to joining the Huskies, DeBoer led Fresno State to a 12-6 record across two seasons. Unlike Coach Saban, who was touted for his defensive prowess, DeBoer specializes on the offensive side of the ball, where Washington had a top-15 offense each of the past two seasons.
While Washington made their best effort to retain DeBoer by reportedly offering to double his base salary of $4.2 million, the allure of the Alabama job may have been far too great to pass up on. Ultimately, DeBoer will owe Washington a $12 million buyout due to having a contract that runs through the 2028 season with the Huskies.
Other candidates who were linked to the job include Oregon’s Dan Lanning, Florida State’s Mike Norvell, and Texas’ Steve Sarkisian, all of whom are staying where they are. Yet, it’s also fascinating to note that DeBoer went 5-0 when coaching against Lanning and Sarkisian during his two seasons at Washington.
