TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Kalen DeBoer, who was until Thursday coach for the University of Washington Huskies, made his debut appearance as Alabama's head football coach Saturday, capping off a whirlwind week in college football headlines.
DeBoer was signed to the Crimson Tide a mere 49 hours following the retirement announcement of outgoing coach Nick Saban. Saban and his wife Terry were in attendance at Saturday's event.
"I have always had an incredible respect for Alabama football and its commitment to excellence,” DeBoer said in a statement released by the university Friday night. “The tradition-rich history of this program is unmatched across the landscape of college athletics, and I look forward to continuing that moving forward."
"Most programs don't even have one legend," he said during his introductory address on Saturday. "Here we have [Paul 'Bear'] Bryant, and we have Saban. People have asked, 'why would you go?' There's a lot of obvious answers, and it comes down to tradition and history of the program. When I look at places I want to be, it's about winning championships. It's an expectation and challenge I look to uphold."
GET MORE | Locked On Bama and Locked On SEC provide more analysis over the Saban-DeBoer transition
DeBoer said he feels there is a "contagious" culture and spirit at Alabama that will compel him to achieve that goal and encourage his players to succeed both on and off the field.
"Someday football will be over," he said. "Building better men in this time is a privilege and honor to have that influence, and I don't take that lightly."
He said he looks forward to hearing from his team members and enriching himself with the history of Alabama's football program in the days and weeks to come.
"I'm looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting to work," said DeBoer.
DeBoer led the Huskies to a 25-3 record in two seasons after taking over a program that was 4-8 in 2021. He is the first Washington coach to win 11 games in consecutive seasons and won Pac-12 coach of the year honors twice.
DeBoer also has won national titles, albeit a few levels down in college football.
DeBoer led his alma mater, Sioux Falls, to a 67-3 record from 2005-09 and won three NAIA championships at the small, Baptist-affiliated school in South Dakota’s largest city. He later had immediate success at Fresno State, going 12-6 from 2020-21, with nine wins in his second season.
That's a career mark of 104-12 at all levels, or 89.7%.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.