Why Alabama chose Kalen DeBoer as its new head coach،
Kalen DeBoer has a tough act to follow.
Alabama will name DeBoer its next head coach, sources told ESPN on Friday, replacing Nick Saban and his more than 200 wins and six national titles at the school.
DeBoer, 49, is 105-12 as a head coach and was named Washington's AP Coach of the Year last season on its way to the national championship game.
Now he must make the transition to a tougher-than-ever SEC that adds Texas and Oklahoma next season.
Why did the Tide choose DeBoer to lead the next era of Alabama football? And what's next for Washington? We answer some of the most pressing questions about moving.
Why did Alabama choose DeBoer?
Above all, Alabama wanted a proven winner, and DeBoer won everywhere he went. He won 11 or more games in seven of his nine seasons as head coach. He took Washington to a Pac-12 championship and the College Football Playoff national championship game in his second season at U-Dub.
Two of the other guys mentioned prominently in Alabama's coaching search, Dan Lanning and Steve Sarkisian, were a combined 0-5 against DeBoer over the past two seasons. DeBoer's offenses were electric. The Huskies ranked 13th nationally this season and sixth in 2022. They averaged at least 36 points per game in both seasons, and look at the way quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has flourished under DeBoer in Washington.
It was important for Alabama to bring in someone with extensive head coaching experience. DeBoer has been a head coach in the Pac-12, at Fresno State and in the Division II ranks with Sioux Falls. -Chris Low
What will be the biggest challenge for DeBoer?
Staff retention will be priority number one. A mass exodus of players into the portal could be crippling, especially since the possibility of replacing players won't happen again until the portal reopens to non-graduates in the spring. Even then, most of the big names had already made up their minds. But beyond this immediate concern, by far the biggest challenge will be expectations. Not just wins and losses, but he's constantly compared to Saban and the way he did things.
While there's no Bear Bryant-style trick to take down, DeBoer will have to walk a fine line in implementing his process without appearing to encroach on Saban's capital-P process. Change too much too quickly and the fanbase and boosters may revolt. And in today's NIL game you have to keep receiving donations. -Alex Scarborough
What is DeBoer’s first order of business on the roster?
DeBoer has some positives in his favor when it comes to the roster. The first is that we just passed the early signing period and all but six of Alabama's initial commits were listed early.
Classes have already started in Alabama, meaning Class of 2024 applicants who enrolled early cannot be released from their National Letters of Intent; they should be transferred to leave. To do this, players would use their one-time transfer, but would also have to gain admission and enroll at a new school.
This could prove difficult as different institutions have different schedules, and players may have to wait until the summer to register.
DeBoer needs to make sure the elite players who just signed want to stay and fit into his system. The key member of this class is five-star quarterback Julian Sayin, who was the No. 1 quarterback and No. 3 overall prospect in the cycle. For depth, talent, and competition, keeping Sayin on the roster is imperative.
He could be the quarterback of the future and make the transition much easier for DeBoer. He can show Sayin the success he had with Michael Penix Jr. and try to convince Sayin that he could do the same for him.
The next step would be to evaluate the roster and make sure any players he wants to stay know they are wanted. Players have a 30-day window to enter the transfer portal and explore other options. Washington players would also have a 30-day window to enter the portal since DeBoer left, so if he thinks there are any who could help him win at Alabama, he could try to take them with him .
Alabama's roster is already stacked with stars and elite players, so there shouldn't be much of an elimination process. He inherits a team that won an SEC championship and reached the College Football Playoff. So his main goal should be to retain and maintain the status quo, while adding players to complete an already excellent roster. –Tom VanHaaren
What is Saban's new role at Alabama and how does it affect DeBoer?
Saban's role and/or presence will be across the entire university, not just the football program. His office will be at Bryant-Denny Stadium, which means he won't be chatting with coaches or players in the football complex or poking his head into the film room. Besides, it's not his style.
Saban doesn't want to play the role of a former coach looking over someone's shoulder, but will always be open to giving his advice when asked. What he wants to do is be a resource in any way possible to the entire university, in a variety of ways. He made it clear how much Alabama meant to him and his wife, Terry. But he's not going to hang around all the time, and the reality is that whoever Alabama's new coach ends up being, Saban's huge shadow was always going to be lurking, whether Saban was physically present or not. — Weak
Should Alabama expect to contend for a national title next season?
Expectations won't change just because Saban is gone. And next season, why? Assuming last season's key players don't rush out of the portal (Jalen Milroe, Caleb Downs, Deontae Lawson and Kadyn Proctor, to name a few), this team still has what it takes to contend for an SEC title. If there weren't any defensive breakdowns late against Michigan, the Tide would hang on to win the Rose Bowl and perhaps send Saban off with a championship. And don't forget that the playoffs are expanding, so even without a conference championship next season, you can still participate.
But the challenge will be significant, aside from the difficulties that will accompany a coaching transition. Georgia and LSU are going nowhere, Ole Miss is making a strong push, and Texas enters the conference with its own title expectations. –Scarborough
What should Washington prioritize in its coaching search?
For UW, it's simple: Ryan Grubb should be elevated from offensive coordinator to head coach immediately. If you're reading this and new UW athletic director Troy Dannen hasn't yet hired Grubb to replace DeBoer, he's moving too slowly.
DeBoer deserves all the credit he has received for what he has accomplished as a coach, but Grubb has been with him almost every step of the way (Sioux Falls, Eastern Michigan, Fresno State and UW). When Washington players talk about the offense and why it has been so successful, Grubb is the one they describe as the “mad genius” or some other equally flattering name.
He was the playmaker, he worked most closely with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and he should be options A, B and C to replace DeBoer. This is not the same as Jimmy Lake inheriting Chris Petersen's program. Grubb is ready. Building a team will be a challenge because DeBoer and Grubb will inevitably want to rely on some of the same guys, but there will be a lineage of talented coaches who will want to be in Seattle. -Kyle Bonagura
Has DeBoer done enough to set UW up for sustained success as it enters the Big Ten?
With lax transfer rules in college football, what's left doesn't matter as much as it used to. In theory, DeBoer's departure could lead to an exodus. This is how the sport is structured.
What he leaves behind is an energetic fan and donor base who, having had a taste of the good life, should be more willing to help strengthen the school's NIL opportunities than two years ago. years. If it wasn't already understood, DeBoer showed that UW has the infrastructure to compete at the highest level in the sport and that goes a long way in recruiting.
With most of its key players gone, UW was already expected to take a step back next year as it joined the Big Ten. But that was just part of the natural ebb and flow of a program that relied on so many veteran players. — Bonagura
