Authors: Christopher Kamlani, Bruce Feldman, Kennington Smith III, and Chris Vannini
The man chosen to succeed the greatest college football coach in the history of the game came from rural South Dakota, and certainly some Crimson Tide fanatics had never heard of him. At least until the last 72 hours.
Karen DeBoer, a well-known project builder and digger in the industry, told his staff in Washington that he is accepting an offer from Alabama for Nick Saban’s former coaching job, team sources confirmed Friday. DeBoer met with his Washington team Friday afternoon to explain the reasons for his move, sources said.
Alabama officially announced the hiring Friday night.
“It has been an honor to follow Coach Saban,” DeBoer said in a school statement. “He has been the standard for college football and his success is unprecedented. I would not leave Washington for just any school. The opportunity to lead the football program at the University of Alabama is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
DeBoer, 49, went 25-3 in two years in Washington, leading the Huskies out of a 4-8 slump in 2021 under the previous coach. Saban, who won six national championships while coaching the program, was stunned by the announcement Wednesday afternoon that he would retire at age 72.
Washington State and its rejuvenated fan base suffered a heartbreaking 34-13 loss to Michigan in the College Football Playoff National Championship game Monday night in Houston. That’s less than 48 hours.
“Karen DeBoer has been an outstanding leader for our football program and what he accomplished during his two seasons at Montlake will forever be a part of our storied history,” Washington Athletic Director Troy Denning said. “We are sad to see him leave and we have made every effort to keep Cullen at the University of Wisconsin.”
While candidates to replace Saban include former trusted assistants like Texas’ Steve Sarkisian and people he developed under him like Oregon’s Dan Lanning, But that list was slowly whittled down in a fast-moving process by Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne.
On Thursday morning, Lanning — a former graduate assistant under Saban — announced on social media that he would remain in Eugene. Sarkisian is close to finalizing a contract extension with Texas.
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Ultimately, the decision came down to DeBoer, Florida State head coach Mike Norvell and Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Reese. Earlier Friday, Norvell and Florida State agreed to a new deal.
In DeBoer, Byrne selected what some considered an unconventional hire who had never coached in the SEC. Sometime this fall, DeBoer hired college football coaching superagent Jimmy Sexton, who represents most coaches in the SEC, including Saban.
“Coach DeBoer has proven that he is a winner and has done an incredible job as a head coach at every stop,” Byrne said Friday. “One of the things I told our team the other day is that we’re looking for someone who is not only a great X and Os coach, but someone who cares about the players and someone I want my sons to play. Because, like I want them to play for Coach Saban. We got that in Coach DeBoer.”
As seen over the past two days, several dominoes need to tip in Bourne’s direction as he travels all the way to Seattle to find his Saban successor.
DeBoer in Tuscaloosa will not rebuild or pull from the deep end. This is definitely a competition he faces every year for a national championship. In Washington, DeBoer built an offense that became the most entertaining in the sport in 2023, most notably Heisman Trophy finalist quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Jr.), three future NFL wide receivers and the best offensive line in the country.
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“I think it comes down to his character,” former Washington coach Chris Peterson said last month when asked what made DeBoer such a great coach.
“Karen’s faith is strong. He knows what he wants to do. He’s calm. He’s ready. ‘So-and-so just got hurt. So-and-so is getting transferred. I know it bothers him. But it’s not the end of the world.’ , and he’s very inconsistent,” Peterson continued. “Like how do we keep adjusting and adapting? Those are the things that really blow me away. Yes, he’s a really good offensive mind. Yes, he’s a good playmaker. In my opinion, that’s Being lower on the totem pole that makes him special.”
DeBoer was hired in November 2021 after two years at Fresno State where he compiled a 12-6 record and mentored future NFL quarterback Jake Haener. . He led Sioux Falls to three NAIA national championships from 2005 to 2009 and brought the program to the championship game in his five years at the helm. From 2010 to 2019, DeBoer served as offensive coordinator across the country, serving at Southern Illinois (2010-2013), Eastern Michigan (2014-2016), Fresno State (2017-2018) and offensive coordinator at Indiana (2019).
At every stop, DeBoer’s offensive philosophy was among the best in the nation, based on exploiting the open floor space of the playmakers and the freedom of the quarterback.
“I think this system has a foundation, but it has a lot of flexibility to grow and develop. It’s always about our personnel. It’s going to be quarterback-driven,” DeBoer told Competitor Before the Sugar Bowl win over Texas. “This quarterback is going to be able to take us as far as we can with his skill set and understanding of the offense. But ultimately, it’s going to be about the players we have. We have the tight ends that we have on this team. The strength did it, we did it with the strength of our running backs, our receivers, and we were successful in a lot of different ways.”
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The Huskies are 10-1 against top-25 teams the past two years. DeBoer’s all-time record against ranked opponents is 12-2. He also dominated among his peers in the sport, as well as some who took the Alabama job. He is 3-0 against Lanning, 2-0 against Sarkisian and 1-0 against USC’s Lincoln Riley.
Washington has the No. 1 passing offense and No. 12 total offense in the country in 2023. Although Alabama also qualified for the College Football Playoff, the Crimson Tide’s offense just isn’t what it has been in recent years. Ranked 56th in total offense and 68th in passing offense.
Washington defensive lineman Fatui Tuitele told reporters before the national championship game Competitor DeBoer repaired the broken locker room.
“Our culture was really damaged during that time, but then Coach DeBoer came along,” he said. “It’s been amazing. He’s really changed our culture for the better.”
At Alabama, Nick Saban has been a culture contender since 2007. But those familiar with DeBoer believe he has a unique ability in this situation.
“Karen has a very unassuming arrogance about him,” said a former Washington staffer who spoke on condition of anonymity. “He has a very unique temperament. He doesn’t swear. He’s always very consistent.”
What will Alabama look like under DeBoer?
Recruiting and retaining Alabama’s roster is a top priority, as evidenced by wide receiver Isaiah Bond’s entry into the transfer portal on Friday. The best way for DeBoer to do that is to assemble his coaching staff with the same urgency as he did for his head coach.
The first question is which of Alabama’s current coaches will DeBoer retain? Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, who interviewed for the head coaching job this week, is particularly interested, while secondary coach Travaris Robinson is a valuable assistant at South And recruiting is likely DeBoer’s top coaching priority to retain.
Three assistant coaching positions are open: wide receivers, outside linebackers and defensive coordinator. The wide receiver position is perhaps the most important, as securing the spot as quickly as possible would help Alabama re-secure a commitment from 2024 five-star Ryan Williams, who retired after Saban Decommitted from Alabama during the period and signed one day in February during the late signing period.
Overall, finalizing the coaching staff and mobilizing to retain the current roster and begin recruiting the 2025 class is DeBoer’s first big task as Alabama coach.
What’s next for Washington?
As for the future in Washington, it remains to be seen whether DeBoer will bring offensive coordinator and long-time coaching partner Ryan Grubb to Tuscaloosa. Ironically, Saban offered Grubb the offensive coordinator position last offseason, but Grubb declined, wanting to see how far the Huskies could go in 2023.
Whether Grubb moves on or not, Washington will be a different team next season. Although former Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers has transferred in, numerous stars, including Penix and wide receiver Roman Odunze, are leaving. Wisconsin will also be entering the Big Ten Conference, where competition will be fiercer and the Huskies will be at a financial disadvantage, not receiving a full conference share.
Grubb would be a simple internal promotion. Potential outside names could include Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell, Arizona State head coach Jedd Fish, Kansas State head coach Lance Leipold, Texas defensive coordinator Pete Co Wiatkoski, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake, Cal head coach Justin Wilcox, San Jose State head coach Brent Brennan, Washington State head coach Jack Dickert, former Auburn/Boise State head coach Brian Harsin and New Mexico State head coach Bronco Mendenhall.
But new athletic director Troy Dannen arrived in Seattle in October from Tulane University, which means the search could go in multiple directions.
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(Photo: Erica Jenner/Getty Images)
