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BREAKING: Kalen DeBoer leaves Washington and becomes Alabama’s new head football coach

Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer on the sideline during CFP National Championship Game against Michigan.
Mark J. Rebilas - USA Today Sports

Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne went to the Pac-12 to start the post Nick Saban era for the Crimson Tide.

Kalen DeBoer of Washington is expected to be the next Crimson Tide head football coach. DeBoer, 49, spent two years with the Huskies (2022-23) as its head coach and is one of the best offensive minds in college football. Washington was a train wreck before DeBoer arrived in 2022. The program went 4-8 in 2021, but the South Dakota native quickly turned things around.

Close sources confirmed the news to Touchdown Alabama Magazine on DeBoer.

Washington went 11-2 in his first season and earned a 14-1 record in 2023. DeBoer led the Huskies to a Pac-12 Championship and its first College Football Playoff appearance since 2016. Washington defeated Texas in the Sugar Bowl (CFP Semifinal matchup) and faced Michigan for the CFP National Championship. The Huskies fell to the Wolverines; however, DeBoer got the program back relevant.

RELATED: WATCH: Nick Saban arrives at Mal Moore Athletic Facility the morning after announcing retirement

He was a head coach at Fresno State for two years (2020-21), guiding the Bulldogs to a 12-6 record. DeBoer spent five years (2005-09) at Sioux Falls, compiling a 67-3 record — including three undefeated NAIA Championship seasons. 

People may look at him as a move out of left field, but DeBoer is Byrne’s choice to push the Tide into the post Saban era.

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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine.  You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.

Stephen Smith is a 2015 graduate of the University of Alabama. He is a senior writer and reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He has covered Alabama football for 10+ years and his knowledge and coverage of the Crimson Tide's program have made him among the most respected journalist in his field. Smith has been featured on ESPN and several other marquee outlets as an analyst.

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