DeBoer to Alabama
- Thread starter edub72
- Start date
I'm shocked. I thought for sure Tommy Turnover had the job in the bag, LMFAO!
I think Rees was an option at Alabama for the same reason that Freeman was an option at ND (trying to keep as much of the roster and staff intact) but ultimately it looks like Alabama is going to blow the whole thing up.
I wonder if there's any way ND can bring Rees back as a QB coach/associate HC/co-offensive coordinator.
Bama’s 4th choice after Lanning, Norvell, Sark. Makes us ND folk stand a little taller given the history of coaching searches.
I think other posters got it right when they said that NOBODY wants to follow in Saban's foot steps at Alabama. Anything other than top 5 finishes in recruiting/performance is going to be viewed as failure.
They got a very good HC so I guess they were wrong
Shocked Dabo wasn’t leading candidate..timing seems ripe for a transition but Dabo probably wants to prove he can bring the elite program he built back to the top. DeBoer seems a little green but skys the limit- high risk/reward.
Realistically, taking the Bama job can be a career killer following Saban. I don’t know if I would want that pressure.
Tommy may have been next on their list, though, according to reports.
Great hire though. He has a tremendous record as a head coach.
Looks like Tommy will likely be looking for new employment, unless DeBoer keeps him on.
Huh? They got their 4th-5th choice. They did have a pecking order but if it went beyond DeBoer, would have been a NDesque disaster. I loved the guys style but can’t be considered a home run
I don't know if Alabama keeps Rees or not, but Rees will not be short of options.
There's going to be a TON of coaching/program changes around both the NFL and FBS this upcoming off-season and plenty of HC or OC jobs will become available.
There's going to be a TON of coaching/program changes around both the NFL and FBS this upcoming off-season and plenty of HC or OC jobs will become available.
It's a very good hire.
I am surprised Lane Kiffin and Dabo Swinney barely got a mention.
The issue with Deboer is that he's still so green we don't know how much credit he deserves for Washington's success. He may just be a product of exceptional QB play at Washington. And despite their 14-1 record, Washington finished 11th in F+. Still incredible for a Washington team with their mediocre talent but this Deboer hire is risky for sure. I don't see a lot of upside to it, but see a lot of potential downside.
They will have about 6 to 8 players drafted in the top 3 rounds. They don't have mediocre talent
Wow, that's a ballsy hire. This guy had a meteoric rise coming out of effin' nowhere. With no ties to the American south whatsoever. But he's been incredibly successful, what is it, like four seasons as a D-1 HC. So that is not who I was expecting them to pick. I'm surprised Dabo Swinnery was not a serious candidate. Unless he had no interest, which of course he might not. Because that would have been a safe, good pick, from a very competent and accomplished CEO coach, who has a good thing going at Clemson, but obviously would have even more apparatus at his disposal at Bama. Born and raised in the state, and an alum of the school itself. It would not be possible almost, to find a better or more ready-made replacement than Dabo. But Kalen DeBoer it is!
There's 85 players on the roster with a majority of players that end up contributing in one way or another. Even just exceptional back ups can have a major impact on a program giving high quality scrimmage-team reps throughout the season and being able to step in if someone higher on the depth chart leaves and/or gets injured.
Point here is that they keep track of program's 85 man roster for a reason, every player 1-85 needs to be maximized to the fullest possibility in order to maximize the chances for your team to win football games/and stay durable despite roster attrition and injuries.
Washington's talent was ranked at 26th in the latest composite rankings in 2023 (https://247sports.com/season/2023-football/collegeteamtalentcomposite/), and was ranked 20th in 2022, but Deboer produced a #19 and #11 team the last two years respectively in F+ (he out produced his talent ranking in both seasons which hints at good player development).
Deboer did an incredible job at Washington so I don't mean to diminish what he contributed to, I just think that it's REALLY hard to put any weight on a coach's career arc that only has a few seasons of experience at the high p4 level, especially when a talent like Penix Jr is involved who can potentially be carrying that whole program on his back right now.
There's also not much of any track record of elite recruiting on Deboer's resume. His classes were fine for Washington's program (20-30th ranked classes), but recruiting in the SEC is probably an enterprise in and of itself at most athletic departments now. And Deboer's track record/experience in this regard doesn't really exist and that learning curve would really make me hesitate to pull the trigger (as AD of Alabama)
Will be interesting to see how all this plays out though.
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To add to my last post:
If I'm Alabama i'm going after Dan Lanning (Oregon had a really impressive and really unlucky 2023 season). Lanning is recruiting well above Oregon's baseline and then outperforming his talent with a #3 F+ season this past year and the #1 offense in the nation in OF+. He's legit. I'd make him the highest paid coach in the sport to pull him away from Oregon
If I'm Alabama i'm going after Dan Lanning (Oregon had a really impressive and really unlucky 2023 season). Lanning is recruiting well above Oregon's baseline and then outperforming his talent with a #3 F+ season this past year and the #1 offense in the nation in OF+. He's legit. I'd make him the highest paid coach in the sport to pull him away from Oregon
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Well you commented on the Washington roster as medioce.
That is incorrect.
When you have 6 to 8 players getting drafted in the first 3 rounds and double digit players getting drafted off your 22 starters its not mediocre
The 26th talent from recruiting is irrelevant
Oregons baseline in recruiting should be top 10 with top 5 classes very possible
Yea you’re right ND is known for snagging the best of the best and their top pick when conducting coaching searches.
