Kalen DeBoer - Football Coach - Alabama Athletics

Kalen DeBoer

Title:
Head Coach
Phone:
205-348-3600

Personal Information

Hometown: Milbank, S.D.
Education: Sioux Falls, 1998
Spouse: Nicole
Children: Alexis, Avery
Birthday: October 24

Coaching Experience

2024-present: Alabama, HC
2022-23: Washington, HC
2020-21: Fresno State, HC
2019: Indiana, OC/QB
2017-18: Fresno State, OC/QB
2014-16: Eastern Michigan, OC/QB
2010-13: Southern Illinois, OC/WR
2005-09: Sioux Falls, HC
2000-04: Sioux Falls, OC

Kalen DeBoer has produced unprecedented results at every stop of his coaching career. His hard work and dedication to his craft has shaped one of the most impressive resumes in college football after just 10 years as a head coach.

DeBoer's coaching philosophy stresses the importance of class, integrity and academic success. He has a passion for bringing people together while building the total program. DeBoer believes in creating an environment that allows his players to thrive. He holds a deep commitment to developing the young men in his program and investing in them both on and off the field as they prepare for their next steps in life.

DeBoer and his staff believe in developing players athletically, academically, socially and spiritually so that they leave the program as better men. Beyond winning football games, it is about building a culture within the program that is contagious and producing a team that loves one another and are willing to play for each other.

There are three non-negotiables in DeBoer's program that have stood the test of time and resulted in stunning success: family, accountability and toughness.

During his 27 years in coaching, he has consistently prospered at multiple levels and in different roles, helping to build and revitalize programs while establishing a diverse network of contacts across the country, in both coaching and recruiting. In 10 seasons as a head coach, DeBoer accumulated a record of 113-16, which includes a 25-3 record in his previous stop with the Washington Huskies and three NAIA National Championships at Sioux Falls.

DeBoer owns a 15-3 record against top-25 teams in his five combined seasons at Fresno State, Washington and Alabama. Including the 2024 campaign, his 15 wins since 2021 are the second-most victories against top-25 teams among active head coaches during that time. He also boasts a staggering 26-8 record in one-score contests across his 10 years as a head coach.

Alabama - Head Coach (2024-Present)

Took on an unprecedented challenge in 2024, replacing Nick Saban
Led Alabama to a 9-4 record, including a 3-1 mark against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll at the time of the game
Those victories included an impressive 41-34 win over then-No. 2 Georgia, the eventual SEC Champion, along with dominant performances in a 34-0 shutout of then-No. 21 Missouri and a 42-13 win at then-No. 14 LSU
DeBoer's nine wins in '24 tied for the most by a first-year head coach in Alabama history, matching the legendary Frank Thomas (1931)

Washington - Head Coach (2022-23)

Served as head coach at the University of Washington from 2022-23
Named Pac-12 Coach of the Year in each of his two seasons
Became the first UW head coach to win 11-or-more games in consecutive seasons after going 11-2 in 2022 and 14-1 in 2023
Went 10-1 against ranked teams while at Washington
Won the 2023 Associated Press, AFCA, Eddie Robinson, George Munger, Walter Camp, Sporting News and Home Depot Coach of the Year awards
Led the Huskies to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in '23
DeBoer's 2023 group won the Pac-12 Championship and recorded 14 wins, the most in a single season in UW history
Notched a pair of top-10 wins over Oregon along with ranked victories against No. 12 Oregon State, No. 13 Utah and No. 24 USC
Guided quarterback Michael Penix Jr. to the Maxwell Award and a record-setting season with 4,903 yards passing, 36 touchdowns and a 157.1 passer rating
Receiver Rome Odunze caught 92 passes for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns while running back Dillon Johnson gained 1,195 yards with 16 scores
Both Penix Jr. and Odunze garnered first team All-America honors and went on to be selected with picks eight and nine, respectively, in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft
In his first year at UW, DeBoer led the Huskies to an 11-2 overall record after Washington finished 4-8 the previous year
Washington owned a 3-0 mark against ranked teams and earned a win over Texas in the Valero Alamo Bowl, making DeBoer the first head coach to win a bowl game in his initial season at UW
In 2022, the Huskies ranked first nationally in passing (369.8 ypg), second in total offense (515.8 ypg) and seventh in scoring (39.7 ppg)
Prior to his arrival, UW finished 114th in total offense (323.4 ypg), 107th in scoring (21.5 ppg) and 73rd in passing (225.0 ypg) nationally in 2021
Penix Jr. threw for 4,641 yards and 31 touchdowns in 2022, completing 65.3 percent of his passes and averaging 357.0 yards per game with a 151.3 passer rating
Jalen McMillan and Odunze both cracked 1,000 yards receiving with McMillan hauling in 79 passes for 1,098 yards and nine touchdowns while Odunze had 75 catches for 1,145 yards and seven scores

Fresno State - Head Coach (2020-21)

Spent two seasons at Fresno State, which included the pandemic-shortened 2020 season
Under his guidance, the Bulldogs posted a combined 12-6 record after going 4-8 in 2019
In 2021, FSU finished 10-3 and defeated UTEP, 31-24, in the New Mexico Bowl
The '21 offense led the Mountain West Conference and ranked 14th nationally in total offense (464.8 ypg) while finishing second in the league and 26th in the FBS in scoring at 30.5 points per game
Additionally, the Bulldogs' passing game ranked second in the MWC and ninth in the country with 326.7 yards per game in 2021
The offense flourished in 2020, producing conference-best 479.3 yards of total offense per game and the league's second-highest points per game total at 32.8
Fresno State also led the MWC in passing yards per game and ranked fifth in the FBS in that category with 356.3 per game in '20
In DeBoer's two seasons at Fresno, the defense also made vast improvements in nearly every category over the 2019 season
The Bulldogs went from 82nd in the nation in scoring defense and 88th in total defense in 2019, to No. 20 and No. 31 in the FBS in 2021, respectively
In terms of NCAA-FBS national ranking, the run defense improved from 71st to 24th while the pass defense leapt nearly 50 spots from 107th to 58th
FSU also improved its national ranking by 45-or-more places in yards allowed per play, opponent first downs, sacks, tackles for loss, third-down percentage defense and fourth-down percentage defense

Indiana - Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (2019)

Served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Indiana University in 2019
Helped guide the Hoosiers to an 8-5 record and a berth in the Gator Bowl
The eight victories matched IU's highest win total in 26 seasons
Indiana ranked No. 3 in the Big Ten in total offense, averaging 432.8 yards per game, including 302.4 passing yards per contest and 130.4 rushing yards per game

Fresno State - Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (2017-18)

In his first stint at Fresno, DeBoer joined then-head coach Jeff Tedford as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2017-18
In two seasons in that role, DeBoer helped the Bulldogs to overall records of 10-4 (2017) and 12-2 (2018), along with two division titles, two bowl game victories and the MWC Championship in 2018
DeBoer's two years as the Bulldogs' offensive coordinator concluded with a Mountain West Championship and Las Vegas Bowl win to cap a 22-6 run during the stretch from 2017-18
His two seasons included double-digit wins each year, coming off a 1-11 campaign in 2016
Fresno State posted a school-record 12 victories and finished ranked No. 18 in both polls in 2018
The offense finished 26th nationally in scoring (34.6 ppg) and 29th in passing (267.1 ypg) while producing five all-conference honorees in '18
Fresno also ranked eighth nationally in team passing efficiency (156.58), tied for 15th in turnovers lost (14), tied for 19th in red zone offense (89.5 percent) and ranked 25th in third-down conversions (44.6) in 2018

Eastern Michigan - Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (2014-16)

Worked the 2014-16 seasons as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Eastern Michigan
Helped the Eagles to their third-ever bowl game in 2016, posting the program's first season of .500-or-better since 1995
Tied the FBS mark for biggest turnarounds in 2016, improving on a one-win season in 2015
DeBoer's offense shattered the school record for total yards with 5,917 in '16, while also setting program-high marks for points (385), passing yards (3,849), touchdown passes (25), first downs (303), pass completions (309), plays (999) and single-game plays (99)

Southern Illinois - Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers (2010-13)

Spent four seasons as offensive coordinator at Southern Illinois from 2010-13
Was part of 10 wins over top-25 opponents during that stretch
In 2013, the SIU offense led the Missouri Valley Conference with 231.8 passing yards per game, the fourth-highest total in school history
SIU's 25 passing touchdowns in 2013 tied for the third-highest total in school history
Under DeBoer's tutelage, tight end MyCole Pruitt was named to the 2013 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) FCS All-America Team while John Lantz developed into an All-MVC receiver
During the 2011 campaign, the Salukis ranked third in the nation with an average of 183.1 rushing yards per contest
Bryan Boemer also developed into the 2011 Rimington Award winner, which is presented to the nation's premier center each year

Sioux Falls - Head Coach (2005-09) | Offensive Coordinator (2000-04)

Began his head coaching career at his alma mater from 2005-09
Started as offensive coordinator from 2000-04 before being promoted to head coach, a title which he held from 2005-09
Compiled a 67-3 overall record at Sioux Falls, including a 49-1 mark in Great Plains Athletic Conference play
Named NAIA National Coach of the Year in each of his three championship seasons
Guided Sioux Falls to three NAIA titles in 2006, 2008 and 2009, while also finishing as runner-up in 2007 and making the semifinals in his first season
Coached three NAIA National Player of the Year winners in quarterbacks Lorenzo Brown (2009) and Chad Cavender (2007) along with running back Nick Kortan (2002)
Developed 25 first team All-Americans during his tenure

Playing Career

Graduated from Sioux Falls in 1998 with a degree in secondary education
Was a record-setting football and baseball student-athlete at USF
During his football career, he compiled 3,400 yards and 33 touchdowns on 234 career receptions - all school records at the time - and played on the 1996 NAIA Division II National Championship team
Also played baseball for the Cougars, batting .520 (still a school record) as a senior in 1998
His career average of .492 is tops in USF history, as are his 37 career homers and .944 slugging percentage