How Alabama changed coaches in 49 hours, from Nick Saban to Kalen DeBoer
Declaring his retirement to his players, Nick Saban entered the team meeting room at the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility. One of the greatest coaching stints in American sports history came to an end at Alabama after 17 seasons, 206 victories, nine SEC titles, and six national titles.
Byrne’s clock was ticking.He recognized the magnitude of his assignment and the enormous difficulty of selecting a legend’s replacement.
“When you’re approaching a historic transition like that, you think about when Coach [Bear] Bryant retired, when John Wooden retired, but it’s also different now because of the transfer portal and NIL,” Byrne stated. “But from an impact on a university and the sport itself, it’s as big a change as there has been in a long time.”
After six minutes of talking with his players, Saban exited the room. The team was subsequently informed by Byrne that a new coach would be appointed in less than 72 hours.”It ended up being 49. I thought I would beat the 72-hour window but wanted to give myself some padding,” Byrne stated.
At 5:06 p.m., Saban’s meeting with his players was over. on January 10 at ET. 6:06 p.m. On January 12, Byrne shared a picture of smoke rising from a chimney on social media, similar to what the Vatican does when a new pope is elected, but in this case, the chimney of a barbecue restaurant in Tuscaloosa. This confirmed that Kalen DeBoer, a resident of Washington, was Saban’s replacement.
Through interviews with the concerned principals as well as other industry insiders, ESPN retraced that mind-boggling week that marked the beginning of an unprecedented period for Alabama football and, in some respects, changed the face of the entire sport.
It took a year to prepare for Byrne’s two-day wind. Saban told Byrne he was approaching the end of his Hall of Fame coaching tenure following the 2022 campaign.”Greg, I’m finding this harder and harder,” Saban said to Byrne. “I’m not ready to do it now, but we’re going to have to start evaluating this more on a year-to-year basis.”
Although Byrne was hoping that Saban would continue as coach, he knew in his heart that the 72-year-old icon was giving him notice, so he got to work. Byrne’s crew conducted a study on the college head coaches hired from the top 25 winning programs over the previous 25 years.
“Part of what I was trying to understand is what were the analytics, and our studies showed that 75% of the time you’re basically hiring a Group of 5 head coach, Power 5 coordinator or NFL coordinator,” Byrne stated. “That’s not necessarily a negative, but when it comes to the theory that you’re going to hire just whoever you want, the percentages don’t support that.”
However, since this was Alabama, the Tide could aim higher than most other college.Although last season’s start was difficult by Bama’s standards, Saban was incredibly proud of how much the team progressed. The Tide won 11 games in a row, ending the 29-game winning streak of the Bulldogs, the two-time defending national champions, with a 27-24 triumph over Georgia in the SEC title game.
“We weren’t a very good team those first few weeks of the season, but it’s a credit to those kids how far they came,” Saban stated. “I’m not sure I’ve had a team that improved more over the course of the season.”
However, Saban found it difficult to process the team’s 27-20 overtime loss to Michigan in the CFP semifinal on January 1 at the Rose Bowl. In addition to being disappointed with his team’s performance, Saban was particularly dejected by some incidents that transpired following the game, including his meetings with some of the players back on campus and in the locker room at the Rose Bowl.
Regarding his choice to retire, Saban stated, “I want to be clear that wasn’t the reason, but some of those events certainly contributed.” “I was really disappointed in the way that the players acted after the game. You gotta win with class. You gotta lose with class. We had our opportunities to win the game and we didn’t do it, and then showing your ass and being frustrated and throwing helmets and doing that stuff … that’s not who we are and what we’ve promoted in our program.”
It was even more evident to Saban that his message was not connecting with players once he returned to Tuscaloosa and started speaking with them.
“I thought we could have a hell of a team next year, and then maybe 70 or 80 percent of the players you talk to, all they want to know is two things: What assurances do I have that I’m going to play because they’re thinking about transferring, and how much are you going to pay me?” said Saban. “The foundation of our program has always been the value we can add to your future, personal growth, academic achievement, and opportunity to play in the NFL.
“I’m thinking to myself, ‘Maybe this isn’t working anymore, that the expectations have changed, and that the main thing is how much money I can make as a college athlete?'”That’s not a negative thing, per se. I’m not saying it’s incorrect; I’m simply pointing out that it’s not our core values and the reason we’ve succeeded over the years.”
And Saban had had enough of changing assistant coaches every year; after the 2018 season, seven assistants left for other positions; Saban could tell that his age was starting to matter when hiring coaches. Tommy Rees, for instance, became Saban’s seventh offensive coordinator in the previous 11 years; occasionally, there were nearly total overhauls.
“People wanted assurances that I was going to be here for three or four years, and it became harder to make those assurances,” said Saban. “But the thing I loved about coaching the most was the relationships that you had with players, and those things didn’t seem to have the same meaning as they once did.”
Two days after returning by plane from Los Angeles, Saban and his wife, Terry, set out for their Jupiter Island, Florida, home on Thursday, January 4. The couple always takes a few days off straight after the season, but this time was special.
“We went to talk about whether I would continue coaching,” Saban said. “But she wasn’t sure.” I was genuinely ignorant. I simply don’t think about it during the season, but that was the right time for us to discuss and consider it.”
They had several in-depth discussions while in Florida, but they didn’t come to a decision. “I don’t know if there’s ever a good time to do it,” Saban said, “I felt like my age was starting to impact a lot of things.” They returned to Tuscaloosa the following Monday night, January 8. It becomes increasingly difficult to maintain at the level you want to and feel like you’re doing a fantastic job as you get older.”
In addition to former Alabama coach Gene Stallings, Saban claimed to have discussed his decision with Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells, who owns a home in the area. “Both of them said you never know quite when it’s the right time, but you kind of also know in the back of your mind when it’s the right time,” Saban remarked. “And that’s sort of the way I was feeling.”
While still debating his choice, Saban called Byrne while he was in Florida and inquired as to whether he would be in Tuscaloosa on Tuesday. Normally, since Saban was always so busy with football-related matters, Byrne would stop by his office when they met, but on this particular occasion, Saban went to see Byrne in his office, and they spoke for almost an hour. “I wasn’t going to believe it until I heard it from him for sure, and he still didn’t say it was for sure,” Byrne said.
Byrne, however, was aware of the direction that things appeared to be taking. On Wednesday, January 10, Saban arrived at his customary hour of 7 a.m., in his office. According to even his longest-serving employees, everything went according to plan.
However, that is only him. “That singular focus is a big part of why he’s the best to ever do it,” said head athletic trainer Jeff Allen, who moved to Alabama with Saban in 2007. “He was going to work right up until the very end, and that’s what he did.”
That Wednesday, Saban held Zoom interviews with potential assistant coaches and visited with members of his staff; even for him, the enormity of what he was about to undertake was surreal.
While I’m talking to Ms. Terry and observing the time, I realize that you have a team meeting soon. Though I felt that it was the appropriate time for us, I believe I still wasn’t sure,” Saban stated. The way it would affect the university, the players, the coaches, and the program itself didn’t set well with me. That was the most difficult aspect of it. However, it seemed obvious that it would occur eventually, and I didn’t want to see the program through to the end.”It was just the right time.”
SABAN INsisted on giving his players the news first, and he did so in the team meeting room. Byrne was there, as were staff people from Alabama football. After Saban left the room, there was an unsettling silence until Byrne approached the platform and addressed the players. He then had a meeting with the team’s leadership group and used his conference room to hold an internal discussion with the administrative staff.
On Wednesday night, as Byrne was leaving the university, he started contacting former players from all eras. He spoke with DeVonta Smith, Jalen Hurts, Mark Ingram, and Joe Namath.”Not to discuss candidates, but it was more, ‘What do you think if you were in my shoes?'” said Byrne. “Because they may have had a piece of information I hadn’t thought about, which is good.”
According to Byrne, the university’s alignment with the board of trustees and president Stuart Bell was as significant.”Everyone was prepared and in agreement,” Byrne stated.
Mike Norvell of Florida State and DeBoer of Washington were at the top of Byrne’s list from the beginning. Both had what Byrne was searching for—a head coach with track record, someone who had triumphed in a major game and demonstrated an ability to develop players. Byrne refused to elaborate on his pecking order or who he spoke to first. But the day after Saban’s retirement, he had serious talks with both coaches.
Byrne communicated with Bell, Saban, and Mike Brock, the chair of the board of trustees’ athletics committee, during the interview process. Byrne was dealing with just one agent because Jimmy Sexton is Norvell’s and DeBoer’s representative.
Soon after, rumors circulated suggesting that Ole Miss’s Lane Kiffin and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney would be good contenders. Kiffin worked under Saban at Alabama, where Swinney was both a player and coach. Both played for Alabama teams that won national titles.
Byrne claimed that discussions regarding a few possibilities were taking place in his circle, but sources informed ESPN that Swinney and Kiffin were not a strong contender. Steve Sarkisian of Texas, who like Kiffin is represented by Sexton, was another well-known name brought up in media stories. However, sources stated that Alabama’s administration was aware that Sarkisian would not be leaving Texas, particularly since the Longhorns will be joining the SEC the following season.
At 11:50 p.m., Sarkisian published a social media post as anticipated. ET that Thursday, sporting a “Horns up” graphic and declaring it was a great day to be a Longhorn. ESPN revealed a day later that Sarkisian and Texas were getting close to an agreement on a contract extension.
Earlier on Thursday, Oregon’s Dan Lanning clarified that he was not a contender, refuting false rumors that he had been observed in Tuscaloosa. Lanning was Saban’s graduate assistant at Alabama. After spending two seasons in Eugene, Lanning, who is also represented by Sexton, confirmed his decision to stay put in a video that was released at midday on Thursday.
By then Byrne was closing up on his two main targets, so it didn’t really matter. On Thursday, he and his spouse Regina met DeBoer and his spouse Nicole in Seattle’s downtown. That day, there were also important talks with Norvell.
As a matter of fact, early on Friday morning, Florida State authorities feared Norvell was on the verge of exchanging his garnet for Alabama crimson. According to sources close to ESPN, Florida State would not hesitate to act in such a scenario, and Kiffin would be a strong contender.
While he declined to comment on whether he received an offer from Alabama, Norvell—who in his fourth season at FSU guided the Seminoles to a 13-1 record and an ACC championship—admitted to ESPN later on Friday afternoon that the previous 24 hours had been hectic as he thought through his options.
Regarding Alabama, Norvell remarked, “You respect the place. You respect the position.” “At the end of the day, it still comes down to the right fit. It still comes down to the place you want to be.”
On the FSU campus, there were exhalations of relief upon reading Michael Alford’s tweet at 11:51 a.m. Friday that suggested a contract with Norvell was signed. Then, at 12:07 p.m., Normanll announced on social media that he would not be moving.
News of Norvell’s agreement to a contract extension that would pay him more than $10 million a year for the next eight years quickly spread. A portion of the deal involved guaranteeing Norvell increased funding for his football administrative staff as well as an increased recruiting budget. Along with renovations to the stadium, work was already underway on a new standalone football complex.
Since the last seconds of the national championship game in Houston had ticked off, DeBOER’S emotions had been all over the place. His Washington team lost 34-13 to Michigan, one victory away from winning the championship.
The final thought DeBoer says he had was that he might be about to change jobs was that he might be returning to Seattle with the Huskies the next morning. Ultimately, he had the impression that his ascent at Washington was only beginning. The Huskies had a 4-8 record the year before he arrived.
That Tuesday was difficult, DeBoer admitted. “We’re flying back from the game, and you’re just trying to get yourself back. I was texting kids on the plane just about how I felt about ’em, how strong I felt, especially the guys that were done with their careers. You’re working through all of that.”
Rejuvenated and fired up, DeBoer awoke in the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday morning.”I was like, ‘OK, quit feeling sorry for yourself and let’s get up and let’s go. We’ve got to go win this thing. There’s another step here at Washington,'” DeBoer said to himself.
He had no idea how the next 48 hours would alter his entire universe. DeBoer learned about Saban’s retirement early that afternoon (West Coast time).
“It wasn’t even on my radar, not sure it was on anybody’s radar,” DeBoer stated. “And then immediately when it happened, people from all over start calling and you’re getting all these questions. I guess I knew with everything we’d accomplished that you might have some inquiries about jobs — but not that one.”
DeBoer received the first contact later on Wednesday night informing him that Alabama wanted to speak. Although they had never met, DeBoer knew that Byrne had always admired him for his success in every endeavor, even if it meant working his way up through the NAIA ranks.
“Everything just happened so quickly,” DeBoer remarked. “I get the call Wednesday night they want to talk. We’re meeting on Thursday morning, and I was offered the job on Friday morning. I didn’t have time to talk to a lot of people. I just knew I wanted the job.”
“How do you respond to the narrative that you never want to be the one who follows a legend but rather the one who follows the one who follows the legend?” was one of the first questions Byrne asked DeBoer during their discussion on Thursday.
Byrne was delighted to hear DeBoer’s response. DeBoer declared, “I’m going to embrace it.” “There’s only one person that’s ever going to get to do that.”
After DeBoer turned down two contract offers from the Huskies, Washington made every effort to retain him. During the season, DeBoer turned down a contract that would have brought his salary up to a maximum of $9 million a year. During Alabama’s negotiations with DeBoer on Thursday, the last offer was made by Washington, who offered a $9 million base contract with a $9.6 million maximum. Last autumn, DeBoer made $4.2 million. It cost $12 million to buy him out.
One of the first people DeBoer called after receiving the job offer on Friday morning was Saban. DeBoer stated, “I picked up the phone and reached out.” “It was great, just, out of respect. I hope he knows how much it means to me to be coming in behind him.”
By 2:00 p.m. Alabama was completing a deal with DeBoer on Friday, ET. Later that afternoon, he informed his players that he was accepting the Alabama position before boarding a private aircraft that would take him to Tuscaloosa that evening.
“The hardest part is when you get put in that spot where the call does come, especially this one just because now you’re a head coach,” DeBoer stated. This was the hardest one of them all: you’re not a coordinator heading to a head-coaching position. You’re not at a Group of 5 institution where you’re going from Fresno State to Washington.
“We were proud of our players, the people in Washington, and everything we had accomplished in the previous two years. In addition, I adored Greg Byrne and our discussion as well as everything that Alabama football represents, including the program’s long and illustrious history.”
“I hope you appreciate what you’re a part of,” DeBoer told the Alabama players during his first meeting with the squad later that evening. “That’s why I wanted to be here,” fans lined the fences at the airport as he climbed off the plane in Tuscaloosa. This location is abnormal. It’s special.” He was aware of the immediate difficulties he would face even before his first day on school ended.
Coaches were leaving, key players were entering the transfer portal or talking about it, and two of the Tide’s most promising young players—offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor to Iowa and safety Caleb Downs to Ohio State—left within a week of DeBoer’s hiring. DeBoer also had to go through two waves of hiring assistants while he assembled his staff.
DeBoer found great comfort in the fact that key members of Alabama’s squad, such as Tyler Booker, Deontae Lawson, Malachi Moore, and Jalen Milroe, continued to be dedicated despite numerous changes.
“As a group, we want to finish what we started,” Lawson said to ESPN. “We’ve embraced the change and we’re not running from change.” We understand and are willing to commit to this plan. Coach DeBoer and the new coaches he’s bringing in have our whole trust.”
Though he never saw it that way, DeBoer understands how some would look at the sheer volume of players leaving during that time — ten in the nine days following Saban’s announcement, and over twenty-five in the course of the offseason — and believe Alabama’s ship was sinking.
DeBoer stated, “There was some attrition that needed to happen, and some of it was happening before I even got this job.” “We had about 30 guys, and those are rough numbers, that have come into the program, and actually more than that when you count the guys coming in this summer,” he said, adding that Alabama might add some players during the spring portal.
DeBoer said he hasn’t given any thought to what brought him to the Tide; he simply knows he’s here and prepared to take on what may be the greatest challenge any college football coach has ever faced. “I couldn’t say no to that challenge,” DeBoer said, with his first spring practice at Alabama beginning earlier this week.