Kalen DeBoer, winner of the 2023 Associated Press, AFCA, Eddie Robinson, George Munger, Walter Camp and Home Depot Coach of the Year awards, has been selected as head football coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide. DeBoer comes to Tuscaloosa after spending the last two seasons at Washington.
“We are excited to welcome Kalen and Nicole DeBoer, and their daughters, Alexis and Avery, to The University of Alabama,” said Byrne. “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. We are grateful to our leadership in President Stuart R. Bell, Chancellor Finis St. John and The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees for their support during this process.”
In his nine seasons as a head coach, DeBoer has won 104 games while only losing 12, which includes a 25-3 record with the Huskies. In 2023, he led Washington to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, won the Pac-12 Championship and recorded the most wins in a season in program history (14).
“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 continue 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. My family and I feel truly blessed and look forward to becoming a part of the Tuscaloosa community. I want to thank Director of Athletics Greg Byrne, President Stuart R. Bell, Chancellor Finis St. John and The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees for their belief in me to lead this program.”
DeBoer became the first Washington coach to win 11-or-more games in consecutive seasons, after going 11-2 in 2022 and 14-1 in 2023, and the first to win a bowl game in his initial season with the Huskies. That success resulted in back-to-back Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors. His Washington squads also went 10-1 against ranked teams while DeBoer owns an 18-3 record in playoff games as a head coach.
“I am thrilled to welcome Kalen DeBoer as the new leader of the Crimson Tide football program,” said UA President Stuart R. Bell. “With great enthusiasm for the future, we are confident that Coach DeBoer will uphold the proud tradition and standard of excellence synonymous with Alabama Athletics. I extend my sincere gratitude to Athletic Director Greg Byrne for his exceptional leadership throughout this process. Additionally, we appreciate Chancellor Finis St. John and The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees for their continued support of our great institution.”
Coach DeBoer has proven to be nothing but a winner in his coaching career, producing success at every stop along the way. Along with winning the Pac-12 and the Sugar Bowl over No. 3 Texas in New Orleans, his 2023 Washington squad recorded two top-10 wins over Oregon along with victories against No. 12 Oregon State, No. 13 Utah and No. 24 USC.
He guided Michael Penix Jr. to the Maxwell Award and a record-setting season with 4,903 yards passing, 36 touchdowns and a 157.1 passer rating. Receiver Rome Odunze caught 92 passes for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns while running back Killon Johnson gained 1,195 yards with 16 scores.
In his first year at UW, he led the Huskies to an 11-2 overall record, including a 3-0 mark against ranked teams, and a win over Texas in the Valero Alamo Bowl. His Huskies swept its three Northwest rivals and finished in a tie for second in the Pac-12, while DeBore was named Pac-12 Co-Coach of the Year. Not only were the 11 wins in 2022 three more than any previous first-year head coach had compiled at UW, DeBoer was also the only UW football coach ever to win a bowl game in his first season.
Prior to his time with the Huskies, DeBoer spent two seasons at Fresno State from 2020-21. Including the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, DeBoer’s teams made great strides on both sides of the ball, posting a 12-6 record.
In 2021, Fresno State went 9-3 and earned a berth in the New Mexico Bowl. The offense finished first in the MWC and 14th in the nation in total offense (464.8 yards per game) along with second in the conference and 26th in FBS in scoring (30.5 points per game). The Bulldogs’ passing offense ranked second in conference and ninth in the country, averaging 326.7 yards per game.
The offense, and passing game in particular, also flourished in 2020, as it produced a conference-best 479.3 yards total offense per game and the league’s second-highest points per game total (32.8). Fresno State also led the Mountain West in passing yards per game and ranked fifth in the FBS in that category with 356.3 per game.
In DeBoer’s two seasons in Fresno, the defense also made vast improvements in nearly every team defensive category compared to the 2019 squad, the year before his arrival.
Before leading Fresno State’s program, DeBoer was on staff at Indiana University as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He helped guide the Hoosiers to an 8-5 record and a berth in the Gator Bowl.
