With SEC Media Days in full swing, few people come into the 2024 season with as much attention as Kalen DeBoer as he takes over for coaching legend Nick Saban at Alabama.
DeBoer was front and center on Wednesday, and he spoke about his journey to becoming the new head coach at Alabama.
“I would not trade my journey for anything. It gives me an appreciation for where I’m at.”
DeBoer comes to Alabama from Washington, and he takes over for arguably the greatest college football coach of this era in Saban.
Kalen DeBoer: "I would not trade my journey for anything. It gives me an appreciation for where I'm at."
— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) July 17, 2024
The journey of which he speaks includes a variety of stops in lesser-known destinations while including a decorated playing career.
DeBoer began as a player at Western Washington, then transferred to the University of Sioux Falls, where he played three seasons as a wide receiver, setting program records for receptions (234), receiving yards (3,400), and touchdown catches (330), which earned him All-America honors. He also played baseball at Sioux Falls, finishing his senior year by hitting .520 with 10 home runs and 34 RBIs.
DeBoer began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Washington High School in Sioux Falls. He soon returned to his alma mater as the offensive coordinator from 2000 to 2004. In 2005, he took over as head coach at Sioux Falls and amassed a record of 67-3 while being named NAIA National Coach of the Year three times.
His success at Sioux Falls began a career that spanned the country. DeBoer’s stops as an assistant included Southern Illinois (OC/WR), Eastern Michigan (OC/QB), Fresno State (OC/QB), and Indiana (OC/QB).
DeBoer was named head coach at Fresno State in 2020. There, he was met with some interference via the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened season, finishing with a 3-3 record. Success was just around the corner, as the Bulldogs went 9-3 with highlight victories over UCLA and San Diego State, earning a bid to the New Mexico Bowl and a 31-24 victory over UTEP.
Washington came calling in 2021, and DeBoer led the Huskies to a 25-3 overall record, being named Coach of the Year for 2022 and winning the Pac-12 in 2023 with an undefeated regular season record of 12-0.
The rest of the story is already a part of college football lore, as the Huskies made an improbable run to the National Championship, falling just short against the Michigan Wolverines.
What lies in store for the fall of 2024 is anyone’s guess, but DeBoer has clearly seen and coached the game of football from a number of different levels and outposts off the beaten path.
His tradition of success, as he’s risen from doing everything at the NAIA level to now being at the head of one of the most prestigious programs in the country, is already gaining status in terms of his legend.
Undoubtedly more will be added to the legend as DeBoer leads Alabama into a new era in the expanded SEC. But if anyone has an appreciation for just how much things can change and how far the journey can take you, it is Kalen DeBoer.
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