The Alabama Crimson Tide and Nick Saban are in the process of negotiating a deal for its next head coach, according to a report from ESPN.
Arguably considered the greatest coach in college football history, Saban abruptly retired earlier this week and has been helping the Alabama brass to secure his replacement.
While Oregon’s Dan Lanning was initially reported to take over for Nick Saban, he announced he would be staying with the Ducks. Florida State’s Mike Norvell was also rumored to be a prime candidate, but announced on social media he was staying in Tallahassee.
The Alabama Crimson Tide have produced a dynasty under Nick Saban and it’s widely considered one of the top jobs in college football.
After 17 seasons leading the Tide program, leaving some legendary shoes to fill in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Saban went 292-71-1 overall as a head football coach throughout his career including an absurd 201-29 at Alabama with six national championships. The search for his replacement now begins, and a successor is was reported to be named soon.
ESPN Reports Nick Saban and Alabama Crimson Tide Negotiating With Washington Head Coach Kalen DeBoer As Team’s Next HC
Perhaps the best job in college football, the Alabama coaching gig presents a fascinating opportunity. Tuscaloosa been home to some of the most successful coaches in the sport’s history, but it also presents a pressure cooker for whomever earns the right to replace Saban. In the 15 years between Gene Stallings’ lone national championship in 1992 and Saban’s arrival in 2007, Alabama had almost as many losing seasons (four) as 10-win seasons (five).
According to a report from ESPN on Friday, Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide brass are in current negotiations with Washington Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer and he’s expected to take over as Saban’s successor.
NEWS: Kalen DeBoer is in talks with Alabama for the head coach opening, @espn reports👀https://t.co/6OapszCKp4 pic.twitter.com/AxXZCmYooM
— On3 (@On3sports) January 12, 2024
The Washington Huskies caught the college football world off guard in a major way in 2023, cruising through an ultra-competitive PAC-12 in its final year as a conference, finishing with an undefeated regular season and reaching the College Football Championship.
While the Huskies couldn’t keep up with the Michigan Wolverines and ultimately lost in the finale, it’s abundantly clear Kalen Kalen DeBoer revitalized a program and knows how to win.
Success has come consistently and quickly at every stop in the career of Washington football coach DeBoer, which makes him an ideal candidate to replace Nick Saban leading the Alabama Crimson Tide.
On Nov. 29, 2021, DeBoer took his next step, when he was named the 30th head football coach in UW history. His first season was an undisputed success.
DeBoer, 48, came to Montlake from Fresno State, where during the 2021 season, he led the Bulldogs to a 9-3 regular-season record in his second year in charge.
In his first year at UW, he led the Huskies to a, 11-2 overall record, including a 3-0 mark against ranked teams, and a win over Texas in the Valero Alamo Bowl. His Washington Huskies swept its three Northwest rivals, finished in a tie for second in the Pac-12, and he was named Pac-12 Co-Coach of the Year. He was also the Associated Press Pac-12 Coach of the Year and, at the 88th annual Seattle Sports Star of the Year Awards in Feb., 2023, earned the inaugural Seattle Sports Leader of the Year Award.
Not only were 11 wins in 2022 three more than any first-year head coach in UW history had ever compiled, Kalen DeBoer was the first UW football coach ever to win a bowl game in his first season.
It will be interesting if Nick Saban — who announced he would be heavily involved in the coaching search — is able to finalize a deal for the Huskies front man to come across the country and lead the Alabama Crimson Tide, with massive expectations attached to the job.
