Washington’s Kalen DeBoer signs deal to replace Nick Saban at Alabama, AP source says

SEATTLE — Two hours and four minutes before Alabama coach Nick Saban’s retirement caused panic attacks in the Pacific Northwest, Kalen DeBoer was asked how he’s feeling in the wake of Washington’s loss in the national championship game.

The 49-year-old DeBoer spoke for three minutes and 38 consecutive seconds Wednesday, while sitting at the desk in his office. He closed an impromptu State of the Program address by stating: “We’re ready to go attack the future.”

Just not at Washington.

DeBoer — who went 25-3 in two sensational seasons in Seattle, delivering a Pac-12 championship and a national title game appearance along the way — has informed UW officials he’ll become the next head coach at Alabama, according to a report by ESPN.

He brings a 104-12 career record (as well as a $12 million buyout) to perhaps college football’s most prestigious program.

“Kalen DeBoer has indicated to officials at Washington that he is likely to take the job at Alabama,” ESPN’s Pete Thamel said on SportsCenter Friday. “It is not a done deal, it is not official. He has not resigned. … This deal is in deep negotiations (with Alabama), and it would be a stark reversal at this point if Kalen DeBoer does not end up as Alabama’s next head coach.”

A UW spokesperson declined to comment at 11:55 a.m. Friday.

On Monday, No. 1 Michigan (15-0) snapped DeBoer and UW’s 21-game winning streak, handing the Huskies a 34-13 loss in the national championship game. And yet, DeBoer’s impending departure Friday may qualify as UW’s most devastating defeat of the week.

That departure shouldn’t come as a complete surprise, considering extension negotiations between DeBoer and UW lasted far longer than most expected, and never reached a resolution. It’s worth noting that DeBoer and Saban share an agent, Creative Artist Agency’s (CAA) Jimmy Sexton, as well.

“It’s not that you can’t do multiple things [at once], because we are working through that with the contract,” DeBoer said on early signing day last month. “I just think you’re so focused on the recruiting and game planning [for the College Football Playoff]. I’m not saying it’s not typical, but I think a lot of times things like this are done before or after the season.

“I just can’t say enough about how I feel [new UW athletic director Troy Dannen] and the university are making me a priority. So it’s been good. It may feel like it’s getting elongated, and that pressure should not be put on them. It’s just, right now we’re in the moment and we’re working in good faith with each other, and I’m appreciative of what’s going on and the direction it continues to go.”

When asked about the status of contract negotiations in a podcast with Adam Breneman prior to the national championship game, Dannen said: “We’re in a good place. We’ve talked and gotten to where we probably could have done something a month ago, had [DeBoer] been motivated to get it done at the time. But [he was] keeping the focus where he wanted the focus, and we’ll get to the contract.

“We’ll do a deal that UW’s never seen before. Not that it’s going to be an unprecedented deal in college athletics history, but we’re breaking new ground.”

ESPN’s Pete Thamel tweeted Friday that “Washington made a strong push to keep Kalen DeBoer, attempting to make him one of the country’s Top 10 coaches, per sources. They offered to double his current base of $4.2 million (before bonuses).” Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger, meanwhile, put UW’s final offer at “$9+ million a year for 7 years.”

The 57-year-old Dannen (who was previously at Tulane) took over in October, after veteran UW athletic director Jen Cohen accepted the same job at USC. Part of Dannen’s appeal was his recent success in retaining top coaches, after Tulane’s Willie Fritz decided to stay last offseason following a 12-2 campaign and a Cotton Bowl win over USC.

(After Dannen’s departure, Fritz accepted the head job at Houston last month.)

“Our job is to put [DeBoer] in a position to succeed,” Dannen said on Oct. 10. “You talk about retention of coaches. Our guy could have left last year at Tulane. Everybody leaves Tulane after that year, and he stayed. Part of it is, as much as we talk about the money and the contract, keeping them in a position to win.”

DeBoer signed a two-year contract extension (through 2028) last November. He received a $1 million raise, from $3.2 million to $4.2 million, in 2023 — and his salary was set to increase annually by $100,000 as well.

That contract also included a bevy of performance-related bonuses DeBoer recently accrued. Specifically, he received $850,000 for reaching the national championship game, $100,000 for winning the Pac-12 championship, $50,000 for being named Home Depot National Coach of the Year and $25,000 for earning Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors (for a second consecutive season).

Alexis DeBoer — DeBoer’s daughter, and one of the top softball prospects in the 2024 class — recently signed with Washington as well.

As for the future of UW’s football program, DeBoer’s departure could be devastating (at least in the short term). The Huskies are expected to lose a parade of key pieces — quarterback Michael Penix Jr., wide receivers Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan and Ja’Lynn Polk, running back Dillon Johnson, left tackle Troy Fautanu, edge Bralen Trice, defensive linemen Tuli Letuliasenoa and Ulumoo Ale, linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio, etc. — to the NFL draft. And when a coach abruptly leaves, players are afforded a 30-day window to enter the transfer portal as well.

“I’m sick for the boys man…”, Fautanu tweeted after Friday’s news broke.

Historically, very few Husky coaches have voluntarily left for another job, with high-profile outliers being Darrell Royal (who spent a single 5-5 season in Seattle before leading Texas to three national titles over two decades) and Steve Sarkisian (who bolted to USC in 2013 after five years at Washington).

Saban went 206-29 in 17 seasons at Alabama, securing nine SEC titles and six national championships. The Tide’s 16 national titles is second all time, behind only Yale (which last won a national championship in football in 1927).

A Milbank, S.D., native, DeBoer went 67-3 and won three NAIA national championships in five years at the University of Sioux Falls — his alma mater — from 2005 to 2009, and was 12-6 in two seasons at Fresno State (2020-21). Between head coaching opportunities, he operated as the offensive coordinator at Southern Illinois (2010-13), Eastern Michigan (2014-16), Fresno State (2017-18) and Indiana (2019).

Last offseason, UW standout offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb interviewed for the same position at Alabama, before deciding to return to Washington.

Like Grubb, DeBoer has never coached or recruited in the SEC.

But apparently, he’s ready to attack the future.