Two hours and four minutes before Alabama coach Nick Saban's resignation sparked panic attacks across the Pacific Northwest, Kalen DeBoer was asked how he felt after Washington's loss in the national championship game.
DeBoer, 49, spoke for three minutes and 38 seconds straight on Wednesday while sitting at a desk in his office. He concluded an impromptu speech on the state of the program by saying, “We are ready to attack the future.”
Just not in Washington.
According to a report from ESPN, DeBoer, who posted two sensational 25-3 seasons in Seattle along with a Pac-12 championship and a national title game appearance, is negotiating a contract to replace Saban at Alabama.
He brings a career record of 104-12 (as well as a $12 million buyout) to perhaps college football's most prestigious program.
On Monday, No. 1 Michigan (15-0) ended DeBoer and UW's 21-game winning streak and handed the Huskies a 34-13 loss in the national championship game. And yet DeBoer's impending departure on Friday could rank as UW's most devastating loss this week.
This departure shouldn't be a complete surprise considering extension negotiations between DeBoer and UW took much longer than most expected and never came to a resolution. It's worth noting that DeBoer and Saban also share an agent, Jimmy Sexton of Creative Artist Agency (CAA).
“It’s not that you can’t do multiple things [at once], because we're working on that with the contract,” DeBoer said on early signing day last month. “I just think you’re so focused on recruiting and game planning [for the College Football Playoff]. I'm not saying it's out of character, but I think things like this often happen before or after the season.
“I just can't say enough about how I feel [new UW athletic director Troy Dannen] and the university give me priority. So it was good. It may feel like it is lengthening and no pressure should be put on it. It's just that we're in the moment, working together in good faith, and I'm grateful for what's going on and the direction it continues to go.”
When asked about the status of contract negotiations on a podcast with Adam Breneman before the national championship game, Dannen said, “We’re in a good place. We talked and got to the point where we probably could have done something a month ago [DeBoer] I was motivated to do it back then. But [he was] Keep the focus where he wanted the focus and we'll get to the contract.
“We’re going to do a deal that UW has never seen before. Not that it will be an unprecedented deal in the history of college athletics, but we are entering uncharted territory.”
ESPN's Pete Thamel tweeted on Friday: “Washington has made a big effort to retain Kalen DeBoer, according to sources, and is trying to make him one of the top 10 coaches in the country.” They offered, his current base of 4.2 Million U.S. dollars (before bonuses).” Ross Dellenger of Yahoo, meanwhile, put UW's final offer at “over $9 million per year for seven years.”
The 57-year-old Dannen (who was previously at Tulane) took over in October after veteran UW athletic director Jen Cohen took the same job at USC. Part of Dannen's appeal has been his recent success in retaining top coaches after Tulane's Willie Fritz decided to stay last in the offseason following a 12-2 season and a Cotton Bowl victory over USC.
(Following Dannen's departure, Fritz took the executive job in Houston last month.)
“Our job is to bet [DeBoer] “They have the ability to be successful,” Dannen said Oct. 10. “You talk about retaining coaches. Our man could have gone to Tulane last year. After that year, everyone left Tulane, and he stayed. Part of it, as much as we talk about the money and the contract, is keeping them in a position to win.”
DeBoer signed a two-year contract extension (until 2028) last November. He received a $1 million raise in 2023, from $3.2 million to $4.2 million – and his salary was also set to increase by $100,000 annually.
That contract also included a number of performance-related bonuses that DeBoer had recently collected. Specifically, he received $850,000 for reaching the national championship game, $100,000 for winning the Pac-12 Championship, $50,000 for being named Home Depot National Coach of the Year and $25,000 for the award as Pac-12 Coach of the Year (for the second year in a row). ).
Alexis DeBoer — DeBoer's daughter and one of the top softball prospects in the 2024 class — also recently signed with Washington.
As for the future of the UW football program, DeBoer's departure could have devastating consequences (at least in the short term). The Huskies are expected to lose a number of key players – quarterback Michael Penix Jr., wide receivers Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan and Ja'Lynn Polk, running back Dillon Johnson, left tackle Troy Fautanu, edge Bralen Trice, defensive linemen Tuli Letuliasenoa and Ulumoo Ale, linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio, etc. – to the NFL draft. And if a coach suddenly departs, players also have a 30-day window to enter the transfer portal.
“I'm sick for the boys man…” Fautanu tweeted after Friday's news broke.
Historically, very few Husky trainers have voluntarily left for another job. Prominent outliers include Darrell Royal (who spent a single 5-5 season in Seattle before leading Texas to three national titles over two decades) and Steve Sarkisian (who defected). USC in 2013 after five years in Washington).
A native of Milbank, SD, DeBoer posted a 67-3 record and won three NAIA national championships in five years at the University of Sioux Falls – his alma mater – from 2005 to 2009 -21). Between his head coaching opportunities, he served as offensive coordinator at Southern Illinois (2010-13), Eastern Michigan (2014-16), Fresno State (2017-18) and Indiana (2019).
Last offseason, UW standout offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb interviewed for the same position at Alabama before deciding to return to Washington.
Like Grubb, DeBoer never coached or recruited in the SEC.
But apparently he is ready to attack the future.
This story will be updated.