The Washington head coach is negotiating a deal with Alabama to fill the position, Nick Saban, ESPN’s Mark Schlabach and Chris Low reported Friday.
The 49-year-old DeBoer led the University of Washington to the College Football Playoff for the first time this season and led the team to win the CFP National Championship but lost to the University of Michigan.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports Washington decided to retain DeBoer and offer him a contract that would exceed his current salary of $4.2 million.
In 2023, Alabama went 12-2 and lost to MSU in the Rose Bowl, Saban’s final game. ESPN’s Mark Schlabach and Chris Low previously reported that DeBoer has committed to Alabama.
His teams won three BCS titles and dominated the College Football Playoff, including winning the national championship.
Overall, Saban went 206-29 at Alabama, completing two seasons and winning championships in both seasons, but this was only the first time.
Ultimately, Alabama defeated Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, its first loss since the 2021 campaign. Now it’s DeBoer’s turn to showcase all the talent on Alabama’s winning team.
It was a tough job, but he led Washington to the CFP title game in his second season after taking over the program.
Washington State coach Kalen DeBoer is in talks to become Alabama’s head football coach, ESPN reported Friday afternoon.
BREAKING: #Washington HC Kalen DeBoer is negotiating contract to become #Alabama next HC, per@ClowESPN pic.twitter.com/qcXLQD5EPl
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) January 12, 2024
ESPN’s Pete Temel said “things would be very different” if DeBoer didn’t accept the Alabama job, even though Washington is trying to extend DeBoer’s contract to keep him in Seattle.
DeBoer has been the head coach of the Washington Huskies for the past two seasons, most recently leading the team to a 14-1 record, winning the Pac-12 Conference Championship and the College Football Playoff Championship.
After a brief stint at a local high school, DeBoer became Sioux Falls’ head coach and led the team to a 67-3 record and three NAIA national championships in five years.
His first FBS head coaching job was at Fresno State, where he led the Bulldogs to a 12-6 record over two seasons. Overall, DeBoer is 104-12 as a head coach and 37-9 at the FBS level.
DeBoer led Washington to the Pac-12 title and the College Football Playoff national championship in his second season as the Huskies’ head coach.
According to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, Alabama is in contract negotiations with Washington State head coach Kalen DeBoer.
For many, Swinney’s program history and track record as a national championship head coach meant a lot.
Jim Harbaugh of the University of Michigan and Karen DeBoer of the University of Washington engage in the traditional postgame handshake as cameras capture the head coach of college football’s national champions at midfield at NRG Stadium in Houston late Monday night.
This is new in college football. An impressive (even good) season for a head coach is one that forces him to find a new, higher-paying job or stay on for the remainder of the season.
Bjork knew this because he was just two months out of Texas A&M when he traded Jimbo Fisher for a record $77 million and signed him to a 10-year contract.
Because in college football, a sport where players are recycled, a good head coach is worth every penny.
“But in college football, nothing is more important than finding the right coach.”
Washington signed Fresno State’s Karen DeBoer to a five-year, $16.5 million contract at the end of 2021.
In January 2007, the University of Alabama awarded Nick Saban an eight-year contract with $32 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid player in sports after being plucked from the Miami Dolphins and the NFL.
Regardless of Saban’s salary or that of two-time national championship coach Kirby Smart at Georgia, he makes more than $10 million a year and sets the standard, surprising everyone have one or more.
Kelly signed a 10-year, $95 million contract with LSU, leaving Notre Dame in 2022. At the same time, USC scouted Riley from Oklahoma State University for a salary of nearly $10 million.
Penn State’s James Franklin is considered a candidate to take the 2021 job at USC, signing a 10-year, $70 million contract in November.
After Josh Hupel led Tennessee to 11 wins in his second season, his annual salary increased from $5 million to $9 million, and his earnings increased to more than $46 million.
In November 2022, Missouri signed a two-year contract extension with the University of Missouri for a second 6-7 season, increasing his annual salary from $4 million to $6 million.
However, university professors sign long-term contracts. Instead of saying,
“We’ve got a coach who’s going to stay,”
he said,
“Nothing lasts forever.”
Fisher’s contract with A&M extends to 10 years and $95 million through 2021, Bjork confirmed.
“There still appears to be uncertainty leading to a 10-year contract with full coverage.”
Entering the year 2023, more than a dozen professors, including Fisher, received requests of more than $40 million.
After his first national championship at Georgia, Smart signed a 10-year, $112.5 million contract in August 2022.
The contract runs through the end of 2026, with the remaining 85% of all money paid in 2031. It happened.
Smart’s previous contract extension with Georgia, signed in May 2018, is 65% guaranteed. If the teacher wins, he gets a contract or goes to work somewhere else.
This included an opt-out clause and the fact that 75-80% of the contract was executed, depending on when A&M had fired Elko without cause.
It’s the same story at Michigan State, where Jonathan Smith was signed from Oregon to a seven-year contract worth $7.25 million per year with no-nonsense bonuses and an 85% guarantee.
This comes after the Spartans released Mel Tucker in September, leaving the end of his 10-year, $95 million contract in the hands of the legal system.
But when the field expands to 12 teams in 2024, there will be more opportunities for coaches, including Elko and Smith, to secure multiyear, multimillion-dollar extensions.
Fans had this to express:
Interesting
— Crich♦️ (@Degen__inc) January 12, 2024
Kalen DeBoer heading to Alabama making it his 5th team in 5 years pic.twitter.com/5JXgDcKeJ5
— Oak Island Wager (@OakIslandWager) January 12, 2024
In all reality tho, congrats to Kalen DeBoer. Dudes a proven winner and Alabama is a massive success
— Oak Island Wager (@OakIslandWager) January 12, 2024
The pain just won't end for Seattle. Seahawks narrowly missing playoffs and pete getting fired, UW getting whooped in the championship and now this. 😳
— Austin Loverin (@a834492120a84c2) January 12, 2024
Who cares you supported to be an NFL account
— Always Foul (@AlwaysFoul) January 12, 2024
