Two days after losing the greatest college football coach of all time, the University of Alabama has its replacement. Washington's Kalen DeBoer has agreed to become the next head coach of Alabama's prestigious football program. For DeBoer, this comes after two very successful years at Washington, during which he went 25-3 and took a 21-game winning streak all the way to a National Championship Game appearance.
He's replacing the retiring Nick Saban, a seven-time national champion who won six at the helm of the Crimson Tide. Over the course of 17 seasons, Saban built Alabama into the nation's flagship franchise. His teams and players defined the 21st century of college football. Alabama produced 123 NFL draft picks coached by Saban, including NFL greats like Julio Jones, Derrick Henry, Minkah Fitzpatrick, CJ Mosley, Mark Ingram and Amari Cooper.
DeBoer will have record-sized shoes to fill in Tuscaloosa but will arrive with a stellar head coaching record of 104-12. DeBoer turned Washington from a middling Pac-12 team into a national championship contender in two years alongside stars like Michael Penix Jr. and Rome Odunze. He'll have plenty of similar talent to work with at Alabama and will look to optimize Alabama's sizable recruiting pull.
Saban's departure may deplete Alabama's current roster. Just this morning, wide receiver Isaiah Bond, who recorded almost 900 yards and 5 touchdowns in two years with the Tide, became the first player to enter the transfer portal following Saban's retirement.
At least a few more transfers are likely to follow. Only time will tell if the number of transfers ends up being greater than the average college offseason. However, DeBoer's rapid elevation of the Washington program will certainly attract some new faces to Tuscaloosa. The coming weeks will be very interesting for Alabama and its fans as they attempt to establish their future as a program.
Adversely, the Washington program is now at a crossroads. Their talented 2023 team was comprised largely of upperclassmen that will be leaving for the draft. With DeBoer leaving, the future of Washington's coaching staff will also be in question. One name all UW fans are sure to be thinking of is Ryan Grubb, who currently serves as UW's offensive coordinator, assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach.
Grubb has been a longtime coaching partner to DeBoer. Grubb was hired to DeBoer's 2007 Sioux Falls staff and followed DeBoer to Eastern Michigan in 2014. The two have coached together ever since. Interestingly, Saban offered Grubb Alabama's offensive coordinator position last year. Grubb turned the offer down to stick with the 2023 UW team. If given the chance between UW's head coaching gig and a continued DeBoer partnership at Alabama, Grubb will be spoiled for choice.
Other coaching options for UW could possibly emerge from the NFL. Titans head coach Mike Vrabel's firing came as a surprise to the NFL community. He'd certainly be an attractive option for the Huskies. Hometown legend Pete Carroll was just removed as head coach of the Seahawks and claims to still have the energy and drive needed to coach. UW fans would likely welcome the former national champion with open arms.
It's not just coaching UW needs to worry about. Their recruiting and transfer portal classes, which were already well below the level of fellow Big Ten competitors Oregon, Ohio State and Michigan, will likely be weakened by DeBoer's departure. Four-star LB commit Zaydrius Rainey-Sale has already decommitted from UW's incoming freshman class, citing coaching uncertainty. Michigan's championship and Oregon's recent addition of #2 overall transfer target Evan Stewart will present the Huskies with additional pressure.
Almost immediately after DeBoer's news broke, star UW cornerback Jabbar Muhammad announced that he was entering the transfer portal. Muhammad was a bright spot on an often-struggling UW defense. It will remain to be seen what other players leave Washington in the wake of DeBoer's departure.
Time will tell what effect Washington's next coach is able to have on the recruiting and transfer markets. Expect DeBoer to get to work on both fronts at Alabama. Both programs will undergo significant change in the coming weeks, and I'll be reacting to important coaching and transfer portal updates as they come out.
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