Alabama has named Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer as a replacement for Nick Saban, according to multiple reports on Friday.
ESPN was report first the news of DeBoer’s appointment.
DeBoer, 49, is a former NAIA coach who led Washington to the national championship game in his second season.
DeBoer will replace Saban, who announced his retirement Wednesday after leading the Crimson Tide to six national championships in 17 seasons.
DeBoer signed an extension after going 11-2 in 2022, increasing his salary to $4.2 million with incremental increases to $4.8 million in the final year of the contract in 2028. It also included an increased buyout of $12 million if DeBoer were to leave for a new job. .
Washington offered a seven-year deal worth an average of $9.4 million per year to retain DeBoer, the person with knowledge of the situation said.
Athletic director Troy Dannen has said he first approached the coach about a new contract in October, shortly after he left Tulane for the Washington job.
Washington scheduled a team meeting around 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time, according to another person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because it was a private team meeting.
DeBoer last year hired high-powered agent Jimmy Sexton, who also represents Saban. Saban received an eight-year contract worth at least $93.6 million in 2022, including about $11.1 million this year.
DeBoer had a scheduled in-studio appearance with KJR-FM — Washington’s flagship station — scheduled for Friday morning. The station announced about two hours before the appearance that DeBoer would not be on the air.
The fast-rising DeBoer led the Huskies to a 14-1 record, including a Pac-12 championship, before losing 34-13 to No. 1 Michigan in the national title game. He was named Associated Press coach of the year.
DeBoer led the Huskies to a 25-3 record in two seasons after taking over a program that was 4-8 in 2021.
DeBoer led his alma mater Sioux Falls to a 67-3 record from 2005 to 2009 and won three NAIA championships at the small Baptist-affiliated school in South Dakota’s largest city. He later found immediate success at Fresno State, going 12-6 in two seasons from 2020-21.
At Alabama, he would replace a coach who won a major college record seven national titles, including one at LSU. The Crimson Tide have been in contention for the national title virtually every season since winning their first in 17 seasons in 2009, Saban’s third year.
Alabama’s short-term expectations won’t change with a team led by quarterback Jalen Milroe and a roster bolstered by a string of highly rated recruiting classes.
DeBoer coached Heisman Trophy runner-up Michael Penix Jr. last season and brings an offensive track record to replace Saban, a former NFL defensive coordinator. He was Fresno State’s offensive coordinator in the 2017 and 2018 seasons and held the same job at Indiana for a year before replacing Jeff Tedford.
DeBoer was an All-America receiver at Sioux Falls who helped the Cougars win their first national championship in 1996. He then stayed on as receivers coach and returned as offensive coordinator in 2000 after a stint as a high school coach in Sioux Falls.
