How did Kalen DeBoer go from unknown coach to Nick Saban’s successor at Alabama? | Opinion

They say not to judge people by first impressions, but my initial instincts about Kalen DeBoer were right on.

Shortly after being hired as Fresno State’s new offensive coordinator under Jeff Tedford, DeBoer and his family attended a booster event at The Elbow Room. By the time they arrived, the only seating space was a table at the back where I happened to be.

This was early January 2017, and DeBoer was a complete unknown. Not just to all the Bulldog fans in the room, but to 99% of college football fans across the country.

How rapidly things have changed. DeBoer will be introduced Saturday as the new head coach at Alabama. The school officially announced the hiring Friday afternoon following enough reports to nearly break the internet.

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Why would DeBoer leave Washington? Money is surely a factor. DeBoer earned $4.2 million last season while coaching the Huskies to a 14-0 record before the championship game loss to Michigan. At top-tier Southeastern Conference programs, the going rate for head coaches is $10 million or more.

Seated next to DeBoer at The Elbow Room seven years ago, was there any indication he would wind up becoming Nick Saban’s successor at Alabama?

Absolutely not. The very thought would’ve been preposterous. Although DeBoer had a ridiculously successful tenure at the NAIA level, his only FBS experience was two seasons at Eastern Michigan. Little could I or anyone else predict Fresno State would serve as a launching pad to such lofty heights.

But I do remember coming away with an extremely favorable first impression. After we shook hands DeBoer quickly introduced his wife, Nicole, and his two daughters. We sat together for more than an hour and spent much of that time talking about his background, Bulldogs football as well as the positives and negatives of living in Fresno.

Most college football coaches, when speaking to a journalist they don’t know soon after taking a new job, tend to be guarded and somewhat tight-lipped. DeBoer was anything but that. He was personable, talkative and possessed a good sense of humor. It felt more like chatting with a friend than someone I had just met.

At that point I didn’t know how good of a coach DeBoer was. But I was certain he was a fantastic communicator and totally relatable.

Tumey: Tedford back at work

DeBoer and Ryan Grubb, who may end up following his close friend and associate to Alabama or replace him at Washington, were the last hires made by Tedford to round out his inaugural Fresno State staff. The two came as a package deal after Tedford watched tape of Eastern Michigan in the 2016 Bahamas Bowl, the Eagles’ first bowl appearance since the 1987 California Bowl at then-Bulldog Stadium, and came away impressed.

DeBoer wasn’t Tedford’s first choice as offensive coordinator – Marcus Arroyo opted to take a job at Oregon – and the two didn’t know each other. During a lengthy phone conservation, they found their respective offensive philosophies had much in common.

Fresno State staged a remarkable turnaround in 2017, then followed that up by winning the Mountain West championship on Boise State’s home field. DeBoer left in 2019 to become offensive coordinator at Indiana, only to return to the Bulldogs one year later as head coach after Tedford stepped away due to a heart ailment.

Health concerns also sidelined Tedford for Fresno State’s New Mexico Bowl victory last month. According to athletic director Terry Tumey, Tedford “immediately returned” to the job and is “vigorously working to support the success of our football program.”

DeBoer went 12-6 in two seasons at Fresno State, the first shortened by the pandemic, before Washington scooped him up. Much to the consternation of Bulldogs fans. His tenure in Seattle also ended up lasting only two seasons until Alabama came calling.

Now that he holds one of college football’s most coveted jobs — replacing a coach who won six national titles with the Crimson Tide — DeBoer will be under fan and media scrutiny like never before. He’s replacing arguably the most successful coach in college football history.

Seven years ago at The Elbow Room, all of this would’ve been unimaginable. But I knew right away DeBoer was going places.