Kalen DeBoer debunks rumors about other college coaches who had a chance at Alabama job after Nick Saban's retirement
The Alabama Crimson Tide dealt with some uncertainty after Nick Saban's sudden retirement. Would they go for a coach like Urban Meyer, a former or current NFL star coach, or an up-and-comer? The answer, obviously, became Kalen DeBoer. But rumors around who else Alabama was interested in and what other jobs DeBoer could've taken swirled. […]
The Alabama Crimson Tide dealt with some uncertainty after Nick Saban's sudden retirement. Would they go for a coach like Urban Meyer, a former or current NFL star coach, or an up-and-comer?
The answer, obviously, became Kalen DeBoer. But rumors around who else Alabama was interested in and what other jobs DeBoer could've taken swirled. On Thursday, DeBoer debunked all of those rumors on "The Triple Option" podcast.
Kalen DeBoer Debunks Alabama Job Rumors
DeBoer, freshly off leading the Washington Huskies to the national title game against Michigan, has done well so far. Entering his key Week 5 matchup against Georgia, the Tide are rolling as if Saban never left. Even Alabama's recruiting classes have been similarly successful.
But there was a moment where DeBoer seemed like a fallback option. Rumors about Tommy Rees, Mike Norvell, Dabo Swinney, and Steve Sarkisian were out there. However, DeBoer said the process was simple.
"We had our season; we flew back on Tuesday after the morning game, and on Wednesday, Coach Saban announced his retirement. Late, late, late Wednesday night, my agent let me know Greg Byrne wanted to meet, and it was literally the next day that we were on a plane up. It was that fast. There was no gauging of interest other than, 'Hey, would you be interested in meeting?' That was Thursday, interviewed, and Friday got offered the job and accepted it," DeBoer explained.
Assuming DeBoer is correct, and there's no reason to think he's not, then he was the top dog from the jump. This would coincide with original reporting, with DeBoer as the first rumored name associated with the opening.
