PHILADELPHIA– Well, that didn’t take long.
Two days after Nick Saban announced his retirement, Alabama has hired Kaelen DeBoer of Washington as its new football coach.
DeBoer coached the Huskies to a 25-3 record in two years and led his team to the CFP national championship game this year, beating incoming SEC member Texas in the national
semi-finals.
He should have no problem winning the press conference. Alabama students staged an impromptu rally in front of the Nick Saban statue on campus, calling for the
administration to hire DeBoer.
DeBoer is stepping big shoes. Saban is generally regarded as the best coach in modern college football history. He won seven national titles– six with Bama and one with LSU, 11 /SEC titles and produced 16 straight seasons of 10 plus wins.
DeBoer was one of two finalists for the job. The other was offensive coordinator Tommy Reiss. It is uncertain whether he ever interviewed.
The 49-year-old DeBoer is 104-12 as a head coach at Division II Sioux Falls, Fresno State and Washington and was named AP national Coach of the Year. He is a proven winner who has won 11 or more games in seven; of his nine years as a head coach. Two of the other guys mentioned prominently in the Alabama coaching search– Dan Lanning of Oregon and Steve Sarkisian of Texas– are 0-5 against DeBoer.
DeBoer’s offenses have been exciting and explosive. The Huskies were 13th in scoring this season, averaging 36 points and their passing game, fueled by Heisman runner-up Michael Penix Jr and three NFL caliber wide outs, was electric in Pac-12 competition.
But the Alabama job is a brave new world. His first job will be retaining the current roster, which is filled with stars, and preventing a mass exodus. Then there is living with constant comparisons to the legend. As for Saban’s system, if it’s not broken, don’t change it. too drastically. There is also a question of shoring up the Top 5 recruiting class, which has already lost five wide star Ryan Williams. The biggest name to be concerned about is quarterback Julian Smith, who could be the impact player of the future.
Saban’s shadow looms large. He will still have an office on campus, at the stadium.
Alabama has enough talent to make a run at a national title again. Quarterback Jalen Milroe, wide receiver Isaiah Bond, safety Caleb Downs, offensive lineman Deontae Lawson and linebacker Kadyn Proctor are all impact talents who are future NFL high draft picks.
Saban did one of this best coaching jobs last year, when he recovered from an early loss to Texas at home to beat two-time defending national champion Georgia in the SEC title game, then come within three minutes of defeating Michigan in the national semi-finals.
This team has enough talent to qualify for the 12-team playoff. but the league is tougher with Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, an improved Missouri and Texas all clogging the pathway.
DeBoer surrounded himself with a group of strong assistants but could lose creative offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb if Washington opts to elevate him to the head coaching job.
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