Alabama Football Hires Nick Saban's Replacement Following Retirement Announcement

Kalen DeBoer comes to Alabama after a successful run at Washington.

By Brian Jones

The Alabama Crimson Tide football team has found its new head coach. The team announced during the weekend that Kalen DeBoer will be the 28th head coach for Alabama. The announcement comes shortly after Nick Saban announced his retirement after being with the Crimson Tide for 17 seasons. 

"We are excited to welcome Kalen and Nicole DeBoer, and their daughters, Alexis and Avery, to The University of Alabama," Greg Byrne, Alabama Crimson Tide Director of Athletics, said in a statement.  "Coach DeBoer has proven he is a winner and has done an incredible job as a head coach at each of his stops. One of the things I told our team the other day is we are going to get someone who is not only a great coach with the Xs and Os, but also someone who cares about his players and someone I'd want my sons to play for, just like I would have wanted them to play for Coach Saban. We got that in Coach DeBoer. He is ready to get to work, and we look forward to him leading the Alabama Crimson Tide football program for years to come."

DeBoer, 49, spent the last two seasons as the head coach of the Washington Huskies football team. In those two seasons, DeBoer compiled a 25-3 record, won the Big 12 Championship and led the Huskies to a national championship appearance earlier this month. He was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year twice and AP Coach of the Year for this past season.

Before joining Washington, DeBoer was the head coach of the Fresno State Bulldogs football team from 2020 to 2021. In the two seasons, DeBoer tallied a 12-6 record and one bowl appearance. From 2010 to 2019, DeBoer was an assistant coach for multiple schools including Fresno State and Indiana. Before that, DeBoer was the head coach of the Sioux Falls Cougars football team from 2005 to 2009 and compiled a 67-3 record four NAIA Championship appearances and three championship wins. 

"I have always had an incredible respect for Alabama football and its commitment to excellence," DeBoer said. "The tradition-rich history of this program is unmatched across the landscape of college athletics, and I look forward to continuing that moving forward. Following Coach Saban is an honor. He has been the standard for college football, and his success is unprecedented. I would not have left Washington for just any school. The chance to lead the football program at The University of Alabama is the opportunity of a lifetime."

DeBoer is looking to have the same success Saban did at Alabama. In 17 seasons, Saban won nine SEC Championships and six national championships. He also won two SEC titles and one national title when he was at LSU from 2000 to 2004. 

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