Kalen DeBoer steps in to replace Nick Saban at Alabama, which takes nerve and winning – Beragampengetahuan

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Everyone knew the day was coming, but few knew it would be so soon. After nearly 20 years, it is time to turn the page on the Nick Saban era of Alabama football and step into a new age. On Friday, the author of the new chapter was named: Kalen DeBoer, 49, formerly of Washington — a man who got his first Division I head coaching job in 2020. Now, he has been handed the keys to college football’s biggest machine.

An eternity in Tuscaloosa spanned only 46 hours in real time. The sudden retirement of Nick Saban on Wednesday left many surprised and many more wondering where Alabama would look next for his replacement. On an administrative level, official statements needed to be prepared, and tribute videos needed to be produced. On a team level, the transfer portal immediately opened for the entire roster (and remains open until Feb. 9). There were so many important tasks to handle, but none were bigger than finding the next coach.

Athletic director Greg Byrne asked the players for 72 hours, and he delivered DeBoer with time to spare. As for Saban, his office at the Mal M. Moore athletic facility was cleaned out on Thursday — a new one at Bryant-Denny Stadium is on the way.

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The entire focus of the Alabama program now shifts to DeBoer, who in his second season at Washington led the Huskies to the National Championship Game, powered by Heisman Trophy finalist and likely first-round NFL Draft pick Michael Penix Jr. DeBoer’s Division I head coaching resume isn’t very long — just two years at Fresno State from 2020-2021, posting a 3-3 record in the COVID-shortened 2020 season and a 9-3 campaign in 2021. His only other head coaching experience is five years at NAIA school Sioux Falls.

The names and/or classifications of the schools might be the first thing someone notices, but focus on one thing, the most important thing — the wins.

DeBoer holds a career head coaching record of 104-12, a winning percentage of 89.6 percent. It includes three NAIA national championships (along with a runner-up season), a Pac-12 championship (2023) and two bowl wins, both with Washington: the 2022 Alamo Bowl and this past season’s Sugar Bowl. But the majority of DeBoer’s wins (67 of 104) are at the NAIA level. A 67-3 record in five years is an impressive run, but naturally, there are questions about the competition. But in his short time at Division I, he has won at a high clip.

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He was named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year in 2022 and 2023. He holds a 12-2 record against Top 25 opponents. Those wins include a 3-0 record against Oregon’s Dan Lanning, a 2-0 record against Texas’ Steve Sarkisian and a 1-0 record against USC’s Lincoln Riley. Two of those names — Lanning and Sarkisian — were linked to the Alabama vacancy.

Still, there are questions about the fit, and rightfully so. DeBoer is a South Dakota native with zero ties to the (non-Dakotan) South, much less to Alabama. The recruiting landscape is unlike what he has seen at his previous stops, and then there’s the elephant-like (no pun intended) pressure that comes with coaching at Alabama and doing so after the greatest coach of all time. But there are also a few pieces of history that work in DeBoer’s favor.

DeBoer isn’t from the South — but neither was Urban Meyer, a two-time national champion at Florida. Like DeBoer, Meyer was a midwesterner, who found success within that region and then out west at Utah behind creative offensive concepts with Alex Smith (who became a No. 1 NFL Draft pick). Current LSU coach Brian Kelly is attempting to do this very thing at the moment: The first year for the native New Englander saw an SEC West title, while the second was capped by a second straight 10-win season and a Heisman winner in Jayden Daniels. For the most part, winners win in any climate.

And then there’s Saban, who never coached college football in the South before taking the top job at LSU in 2000.

In Tuscaloosa is even further evidence that regional differences aren’t necessarily a detriment to success. Only a few years ago, Byrne hired Buffalo’s Nate Oats to lead the men’s basketball program. Oats — with no Southern ties — was a proven mid-major winner and has blossomed into a recruiting powerhouse at Alabama., leading the Tide to a pair of SEC championships. He offered some advice for DeBoer on Friday during his media availability.

“I think if they’re not from the area, you just got to be genuine,” Oats said. “I think people whether up North, South understand, they can see through fake, and they can tell if you’re genuine. If you’re genuine, I think people down here in the South welcome you in with open arms. Shoot, it sure helps if you win, too.”

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Winning at Alabama, and doing it to the measure that meets expectations, is a taller task than DeBoer has faced; which is why his first steps as head coach in conjunction with the new burden of responsibility on Alabama athletics will set the tone for success.

DeBoer needs an all-star coaching staff — high-level thinkers and game-planners, elite recruiters with ties to the South — and that is non-negotiable. The college recruiting landscape has become more national, especially at Alabama, but DeBoer needs experienced staffers within the SEC footprint to maximize his success. Who he retains and doesn’t, as well as who will fill key position coaching vacancies at wide receiver, outside linebacker and the defensive/special teams coordinator spots will be telling.

Recruiting at Alabama will be different moving forward. The draw was to play for the greatest coach of all time, winning national championships and selection in the NFL Draft felt like near guarantees under Saban — pitches that won’t work immediately for DeBoer. He does have the development of offensive talent at Washington to use, and there’s another possible pitch that has been unlocked by his hire: Come and make a name for yourself, alongside me in the new era of Alabama football.

Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne will need to do his part to keep the funds flowing to facilitate Kalen DeBoer’s success. (AP Photo / Vasha Hunt)

Alabama’s athletic department and boosters must commit themselves to doing whatever it takes to facilitate the transition, even going beyond previous efforts as the program doesn’t have Saban’s draw to rely on anymore. DeBoer will have all of the resources he needs to succeed, but there will need to be some adjustments.

Recruits would be more willing to take less in NIL to play for and get developed by the greatest ever, but now it’s going to take an excess of funds to keep Alabama at elite status. That’s something that Alabama’s NIL contingency and DeBoer will have to navigate strategically. Fortunately, Saban won’t be too far away should guidance be needed — or possibly help in fundraising.

Nick Saban will get an office in Bryant-Denny Stadium in his new support role for the university. But by the end of the day Thursday, his old office at the Mal Moore football complex had already been cleared out. He did hit a few golf balls at the golf facility before leaving.

— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) January 11, 2024

On the field, DeBoer is widely known as an offensive savant. His work at Washington is well-documented, and as an offensive coordinator at Eastern Michigan from 2014 to 2016, he improved the offense’s points-per-game average from No. 126 in 2014 to No. 61 in 2016. He improved Fresno State’s scoring from No. 77 to No. 28 between. Washington ranked No. 113 nationally in yards per play the year before DeBoer arrived — it was ranked No. 5 in the same category this season. He was 11-1 in one-possession games at Washington, and he was 7-1 against the spread as an underdog in 2023. His coaching prowess is understood, but now he’s tasked with handling the embarrassment of riches that is Alabama.

DeBoer will have to work to retain the bulk of Alabama’s roster as the portal window remains open — leading wide receiver Isaiah Bond entered Friday — but a rapport with quarterback Jalen Milroe is especially important. DeBoer’s work with Penix led the former Indiana QB to New York for the Heisman ceremony, and soon, he will be headed to the NFL. How DeBoer plans to utilize Milroe’s strengths is a top storyline to watch. Overall, assuming the core of this Alabama roster remains after the spring transfer window in April, the skeleton will be there for a championship contender in 2024. DeBoer’s a proven winner, and there’s (currently) a healthy mix of veterans and young talent on the team to field a winner: players like Milroe, Tyler Booker, Caleb Downs, Malachi Moore and Deontae Lawson.

Before any thoughts of Alabama’s opening kickoff, or DeBoer’s first SEC contest — a home game against Georgia on Sept. 28 — cross the new head coach’s mind, the upcoming days and weeks will be pivotal to laying the groundwork for a smooth transition. The confidence is there — willingly stepping in to replace Saban requires such nerve — and there’s a proven track record of success. Does that guarantee championships at Alabama? No. But on the day of the announcement, it feels like a strong hire.

What happens next will truly tell the story, but history indicates plenty of reason for excitement.

(Top photo: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)