Getty Former Alabama coach Nick Saban.
The Alabama Crimson Tide have found their next coach, the Washington Huskies’ Kalen DeBoer, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel. It remains to be seen whether DeBoer was Alabama’s top choice after the school appeared to get frozen out by a number of candidates.
“DeBoer had emerged as the Crimson Tide’s top target before three other possible candidates, Oregon’s Dan Lanning, Florida State’s Mike Norvell and Texas’ Steve Sarkisian, withdrew from the search and affirmed their commitments to their current schools over the past two days,” Thamel wrote in a January 12, 2024 article titled, “Sources: Washington’s DeBoer, Bama negotiating head-coach job.”
Norvell, who’s been with FSU since 2020, signed an eight-year deal eclipsing $80 million to remain with the Seminoles, Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger reported.
Alabama Football Rumors: Kalen DeBoer Declined Washington’s Offer Topping $8.4 Million Annually
We do know that DeBoer had a hefty buyout of $12 million, per Thamel. Of the candidates initially linked to the Alabama opening, DeBoer had a buyout that was second only to Lanning’s massive $20 million buyout. Teams are typically responsible for paying the new coach’s buyout in addition to the new contract figures.
Terms of DeBoer’s deal with the Crimson Tide have yet to be disclosed. We can deduce that DeBoer is likely earning more than $9 million annually, given that Washington’s final offer was $9.4 million a year for seven years, according to a January 12 story by the Guardian.
“Washington made a strong push to keep Kalen DeBoer, attempting to make him one of the country’s Top 10 coaches, per sources,” Thamel detailed on a January 12 message on X. “They offered to double his current base of $4.2 million (before bonuses).”
The Crimson Tide are sure to pitch this as DeBoer being the team’s top choice all along. This could be the case as opposing coaches look to leverage Bama for a raise at their current school. After just two seasons, DeBoer transformed a struggling Washington team into the national championship runner-up after a perfect 13-0 regular season in 2023.
Dan Lanning on Alabama Rumors: ‘The Ducks Aren’t Going Anywhere & I’m Not Leaving’
Lanning used the opportunity to make a recruiting pitch for players to come to Oregon. The Ducks coach dropped a video on social media detailing his decision to remain in Eugene. The January 11 video received close to 12 million views on X just one day after its posting.
“If you’re scared your coach is leaving, then come play for us,” the caption of the video read at the end. “The Ducks aren’t going anywhere, and I’m not leaving.”
Texas Coach Steve Sarkisian Amid Bama Chatter: ‘It’s a Great Day to be a Longhorn!’
Just getting started 🤘
Sarkisian also posted a response on X amid rumors about Bama’s potential interest in the team’s former assistant. The Longhorns coach also expressed his desire to remain at Texas.
“It’s a Great Day to be a Longhorn!!” Sarkisian said in a January 11 message on X.
Horns247 Sports’ Chip Brown reported on January 12 that Sarkisian and Texas were nearing a contract extension. DeBoer will make his debut as Alabama football coach against Western Kentucky on August 31.