Details on Nick Saban and Coach Kalen DeBoer Suspension.
Being a legend’s follower is never an easy task, but Kalen DeBoer intends to accomplish just that.
Following Nick Saban’s resignation on Wednesday, the University of Alabama announced that the head coach of Washington will take over as the team’s new coach. That follows news that DeBoer and Alabama were reportedly in contract talks, as reported by ESPN’s Mark Schlabach and Chris Low.
Later, Low stated that an agreement had been reached.
Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reports that Alabama will have to pay Washington almost $12 million to buy out DeBoer’s contract.
Dellenger, Ross (@RossDellenger)
After Kalen DeBoer’s transfer is finalized, Alabama owes Washington almost $12 million in buyout proceeds. This makes the Crimson Tide’s decision to spend close to or more than $100 million an extremely costly one, especially when included in DeBoer’s projected $10 million+ contract.
Dellenger previously disclosed that Washington recently made an offer to retain DeBoer worth more than $9 million a season for seven years.
Dellenger, Ross (@RossDellenger)
Washington representatives and DeBoer’s representatives worked on a new deal for more than two months.The passage continues.According to insiders, the previous offer was for seven years at a rate of more than $9 million annually.Yahoo Sports</a>. When DeBoer makes his ultimate decision, it will include more than just money.
Nick Saban left his position as head coach of the Crimson Tide on January 10th, ending his 17 amazing years in that role. Six national titles, four Heisman Trophy winners, and some of the sport’s most sustained success occurred during his tenure.
In addition to becoming the face of Alabama, Saban represented college football in its entirety.
In addition to winning three BCS titles, his teams made three more appearances in the national championship game and maintained their dominance during the College Football Playoff era.
With the exception of his rookie season, Saban finished every season with double digit wins at Alabama, going 206-29 overall.
Football in Alabama @AlabamaFTBL
I’m grateful, Coach. It’s 🔗:A href of “https://t.co/cz8p9xqXYQ”This link: t.co/cz8p9xqXYQ</a><a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/RollTide?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#RollTide The link <a href=”https://t.co/DQRdELaNjR”>tweet.com/DQRdELaNjR</a>
With every season carrying championship-or-bust expectations, DeBoer now takes over the program. That is a lot of pressure, especially when you consider that no matter how successful he is, he will undoubtedly be compared to Saban during his tenure with the Crimson Tide.
And despite trying to preserve a dynasty, college football faces a number of new obstacles in this new era, including transactions involving names, likenesses, and images, as well as the transfer portal. The 12-team playoff will begin play in 2024 as well, which presents a mixed bag of advantages and disadvantages for coaches at the nation’s best teams.
On the one hand, getting into the playoffs is simpler than it has ever been. But getting to a national championship also means navigating the toughest stage of the sport, with more rounds and tougher opponents to overcome.
DeBoer’s expectations aren’t going to alter either.
After all, Alabama just finished a season in which it defeated Georgia to win the SEC title, marking its first defeat of Georgia since the 2021 campaign. According to 247Sports’ composite rankings, Saban signed the No. 2 recruiting class in 2024, the No. 1 class in 2023, and the No. 2 class in 2022, so the Crimson Tide made it to the CFP and have no shortage of quality.
DeBoer will now have the task of transforming all that talent into the following Alabama squad that wins a title.
Though he took over the team in just his second season, he managed to lead Washington to the CFP national title game, so the assignment is not without pressure. Before DeBoer joined the team in 2021, the Huskies had a 4-8 record. In his first season, they improved to 11-2, and in his second, they were one victory away from a championship.
But Fresno State was the only other head coaching position he had held before.
At Alabama, he will be under significantly more pressure than he was in any of his previous two locations because coaching in the SEC is a very different job. When he was with the Huskies, he shown that he could turn around an underachieving team and raise it to new heights; now, he will have to take the best program in the sport and keep it that way.
