Kalen Douglas DeBoer (born October 24, 1974) is an American

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

coach. He is the head football coach for the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

, a position he has held since 2024. He also served as the head coach at the

University of Sioux Falls The University of Sioux Falls (USF) is a private university in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. In fall 2014, the university enrolled a total of 1,142 undergraduate students and 311 graduate students. ...

from 2005 to 2009,

Fresno State California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers 60 ba ...

from 2020 to 2021, and the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

from 2022 to 2023. At Sioux Falls, his teams won three NAIA Football National Championships, in 2006, 2008, and 2009. DeBoer’s overall record as a head coach is 113–16.

Early life and playing career

Born and raised in

Milbank, South Dakota Milbank is a city in Grant County, South Dakota, United States, located along the South Fork of the Whetstone River. The population was 3,544 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Grant County. Milbank is the birthplace of American Legion ...

, DeBoer graduated from Milbank High School. After a redshirt year at

Western Washington University Western Washington University (WWU or Western) is a public university in Bellingham, Washington, United States. The northernmost university in the contiguous United States, WWU was founded in 1893 as the state-funded New Whatcom Normal School, s ...

, attended the

, DeBoer played at wide receiver from 1993 to 1996 for the

Sioux Falls Cougars The Sioux Falls Cougars are the athletic teams that represent the University of Sioux Falls, located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing the Northern Sun Intercol ...

under head coach Bob Young, setting school records for receptions (234), receiving yardage (3,400) and touchdown catches (33) and earned All-American honors. DeBoer was a student assistant at Sioux Falls in 1997 after his football playing career ended working with the wide receivers, and he graduated in 1998 with a bachelor's degree in secondary education. Following DeBoer's graduation he signed with the semipro Sioux Falls Falcons alongside his former

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

at Sioux Falls,

Kurtiss Riggs Kurtiss Riggs is an American football coach and a former quarterback. He was a coach with the Sioux Falls Storm from 2002 to 2023, all but the first as head coach. During his tenure as head coach the team set a professional gridiron football rec ...

. After one season, he signed with the Sioux Falls Cobras of the

Indoor Football League The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional indoor American football league in the United States. The league comprises 14 teams, divided equally between the Eastern Conference (EC) and Western Conference ...

(IFL). In his first game with the Cobras he caught two touchdown passes. The team finished his first season with an 8–6 record. In 2001, the team rebranded to the Sioux Falls Storm and moved to the

National Indoor Football League The National Indoor Football League (NIFL) was a professional indoor football league in the United States. For their first six years, the league had teams in markets not covered by either the Arena Football League or its developmental league, ...

(NIFL). In his last season with the team he helped lead them to a 7–7 record and an appearance in the NIFL semifinal. DeBoer also played baseball at Sioux Falls, hitting .520 with 10 home runs and 34 RBIs in his senior season of 1997. In 1998, he played one season of independent league baseball with the Canton Crocodiles as a

left fielder In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

. He also played one season for the Renner Monarchs.

Coaching career

Early coaching career

After graduating from the University of Sioux Falls, DeBoer remained in the city of

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls ( ) is the List of cities in South Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the List of United States cities by population, 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha Coun ...

as an assistant coach at Washington High School. After two years at Washington, DeBoer reunited with Bob Young and returned to his alma mater as offensive coordinator, a position he held from 2000 to 2004. During his tenure as an assistant football coach, he also served as an assistant baseball coach. Following Young's retirement, Sioux Falls promoted DeBoer to head coach on December 1, 2004. As head coach from 2005 to 2009, DeBoer had a record of 67–3 and won three NAIA national championships in 2006, 2008, and 2009 and a runner-up appearance in 2007. Two of DeBoer's losses at Sioux Falls came at the hands of Mike Van Diest's national title-winning Carroll Fighting Saints squads in 2005 and 2007. DeBoer was the offensive coordinator at

Southern Illinois Southern Illinois is a region of the U.S. state of Illinois comprising the southern third of the state, principally south of Interstate 70. Part of downstate Illinois, it is bordered by the two List of U.S. rivers by discharge, most voluminous ri ...

from 2010 to 2013 under Dale Lennon. He held the same position at

Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, EMich, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern) is a public university, public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it was the fourth normal ...

from 2014 to 2016 under

Chris Creighton Christopher William Creighton (born February 7, 1969) is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach at Eastern Michigan University, a position he has held since the 2014 season. Creighton has served as the head ...

, at

from 2017 to 2018 under

Jeff Tedford Jeffrey Raye Tedford (born November 2, 1961) is an American football coach and former player. From 2002 to 2012, Tedford was the head football coach for the California Golden Bears, where he was twice named Pac-10 Coach of the Year and holds ...

, and most recently at

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

under

Tom Allen Thomas Allen may refer to: Clergy * Thomas Allen (nonconformist) (1608–1673), Anglican/nonconformist priest in England and New England *Thomas Allen (dean of Chester) (died 1732) *Thomas Allen (scholar) (1681–1755), Anglican priest in England ...

in 2019. The Hoosiers averaged 433.2 yards per game under DeBoer, ranking third in the Big Ten for the season.

Fresno State

In 2020, DeBoer was hired as the head football coach at

. In the COVID-19 pandemic shortened season, he led the Bulldogs to a 3–3 record. In the 2021 season, he led Fresno State to a 9–3 regular season record. The season was highlighted with ranked victories over

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

and

San Diego State San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system. SDSU is ...

. The Bulldogs qualified for the New Mexico Bowl, where they defeated

UTEP The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas, United States. Founded in 1913 as the State School of Mines and Metallurgy, it is the third oldest academic component of the University of Texas Syste ...

31–24.

Washington

On November 29, 2021, DeBoer was hired as the head football coach at the

2022

In his first season with Washington, DeBoer led the team to a 10–2 regular season record. The season was highlighted with victories over ranked teams Michigan State, Oregon State, and Oregon. DeBoer was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the 2022 season. The Huskies finished the season with a 27–20 win over

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

in the

Alamo Bowl The Alamo Bowl is an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game played annually since 1993 in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Since 2010 it matches the second choice team from the Pac-12 Conference and the second ...

, finishing 11–2.

2023

In his second season, Washington finished the regular season 12–0. Washington then defeated

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

34–31 in the

Pac-12 Championship The Pac-12 Football Championship Game was an annual college football game held by the Pac-12 Conference to determine the season's conference champion. The game from the 2011–2021 seasons had the champion of the North Division against the cham ...

. DeBoer was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. DeBoer earned numerous accolades for the 2023 season, including Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, Home Depot Coach of the Year,

Sporting News College Football Coach of the Year ''The Sporting News'' College Football Coach of the Year Award is an annual award given to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student ...

, Walter Camp Coach of the Year, and AP Coach of the Year. DeBoer and the Huskies qualified for the 2023 College Football Playoff as the #2 seed. DeBoer helped lead Washington to a 37–31 victory over

in the

Sugar Bowl The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed only ...

. In the

CFP National Championship The College Football Playoff National Championship is a post-season college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), which began play in the 2014 college football season. ...

, DeBoer suffered his only loss of the season to

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, 34–13. The Huskies finished the season 14–1.

Alabama

On January 12, 2024, after the retirement of

Nick Saban Nicholas Lou Saban Jr. ( ; born October 31, 1951) is an American sportscaster and former Professional gridiron football, professional and college football coach. He serves as an analyst for ESPN's ''College GameDay (football TV program), Colleg ...

, DeBoer accepted an offer to become the next head coach at the

. In his first season as Alabama head coach, the Tide started the season ranked fifth in the preseason AP and Coaches Poll. In the season opener, DeBoer picked up his first win as Alabama's head coach against

Western Kentucky Western Kentucky is the western portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It generally includes part or all of several more widely recognized regions of the state. ;Always included * The Jackson Purchase, the state's westernmost generally recogniz ...

63–0. The following week Alabama struggled against

South Florida South Florida, sometimes colloquially shortened to SoFlo, is the Regions of the United States#Florida, southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the two others are ...

, but pulled away in the 4th quarter winning 42–16. The next week, Alabama traveled to

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

for the first time since 1928, defeating

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

42–10. Following their first bye week, Alabama defeated #2 Georgia 41–34, ending Georgia's 42-game regular-season win streak. The next day, Alabama moved to #1 in the AP Poll, marking the 16th year in the last seventeen seasons the Tide have reached the top spot. The next week, DeBoer suffered his first loss as Alabama coach losing to Vanderbilt 40–35. The loss snapped a 23 game win streak versus the Commodores, and was the Tide's first loss to Vanderbilt since 1984. The following week, the Tide overcame a late rally by

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

to win 27–25. In the

Third Saturday in October The Third Saturday in October is an American college football college rivalry, rivalry game played annually by the Alabama Crimson Tide football, Crimson Tide of the University of Alabama and the Tennessee Volunteers football, Volunteers of the ...

, Alabama fell to #11 Tennessee 24–17. On homecoming, the Tide bounced back with a 34–0 shutout of #21 Missouri. Following their second bye week, Alabama traveled to

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

dominating #15 LSU 42–13. The next week the Tide defeated FCS

Mercer Mercer may refer to: Business * Mercer (automobile), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925) * Mercer (consulting firm), a human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City, US * Mercer (occupation), a merchant or tra ...

52–7. The following week Alabama traveled to

Norman, OK Norman () is the 3rd most populous city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,026 as of the 2020 census. It is the most populous city and the county seat of Cleveland County and the second-most populous city in the Oklahoma ...

losing to

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

24–3. It’s the first time since 2010 the Tide have lost three regular season games. In the

Iron Bowl The Alabama–Auburn football rivalry, better known as the Iron Bowl, is an American college football rivalry game between the University of Alabama Crimson Tide and the Auburn University Tigers, both charter members of the Southeastern Conf ...

, Alabama bounced back with a win over Auburn 28–14. It’s the Tide’s fifth straight win in the rivalry. DeBoer finished the regular season with a 9–3 record. On December 8, Alabama was selected to play in the

ReliaQuest Bowl The ReliaQuest Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Tampa, Florida. The event was known as the Hall of Fame Bowl from 1986 to 1995 and the Outback Bowl from 1996 to 2022. It was held at Tampa Stadium from 1986 until 1999, when it ...

against

in a rematch of last seasons

Rose Bowl Rose Bowl or Rosebowl may refer to: * Rose Bowl Game, an annual American college football game * Rose Bowl (stadium), Pasadena, California, site of the football game, and the home stadium of the UCLA Football team * Rose Bowl (cricket ground), West ...

. The Tide ended up losing 19–13. The loss ended a 16 year streak for Alabama winning 10 or more games in a season. The Tide finished the season at 9–4.

Personal life

Kalen DeBoer Introductory Press Conference

DeBoer is married to his wife Nicole. They have two daughters. Their daughter Alexis, plays softball at the

Washington Huskies softball The Washington Huskies softball team represents the University of Washington in NCAA Division I (NCAA), Division I college softball competition. A member of the Pac-12 Conference, Big Ten Conference, they play their home games on-campus at Husky S ...

Head coaching record

Notes

References

External links

*
Coaching statistics
at

Sports Reference Sports Reference, LLC is an American sports statistics company that operates databases of several sports. They include Pro Football Reference for American football, Baseball Reference for baseball, Basketball Reference for basketball, Hockey ...

Alabama profile

Washington profile

Fresno State profile

Indiana profile

Eastern Michigan profile

Southern Illinois profile

Sioux Falls profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deboer, Kalen 1974 births Living people Alabama Crimson Tide football coaches American football wide receivers Eastern Michigan Eagles football coaches Indiana Hoosiers football coaches Fresno State Bulldogs football coaches Sioux Falls Cougars football coaches Sioux Falls Cougars football players Southern Illinois Salukis football coaches Sioux Falls Storm players Washington Huskies football coaches Western Washington Vikings football players High school football coaches in South Dakota Canton Crocodiles players Baseball outfielders People from Milbank, South Dakota Coaches of American football from South Dakota Players of American football from South Dakota Baseball players from South Dakota Indoor Football League (1999–2000) players