Entering his third season in Tuscaloosa, Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer is entered uncharted territory in his extensive coaching career.
Kalen DeBoer has never spent more than three seasons at an FBS program.
Now, entering his third year at Alabama, he's about to break that trend.
From 2005 to 2009, DeBoer was one of the most accomplished coaches in Division II history, leading the University of Sioux Falls to an improbable 67-3 record, along with three NAIA National Championships in four years.
When you keep dominating at the Division II level, there’s only so much you can do, and DeBoer was battling complacency.
And after his historic run, DeBoer left his home state and his comfort zone for a new challenge.
He spent three seasons as the offensive coordinator at FCS Southern Illinois, and then his career took off in unprecedented ways.
He became the offensive coordinator at Eastern Michigan shortly after, and progressively rose through the ranks.
In his first season, Eastern Michigan ranked second-to-last nationally in scoring. By his second year, the Eagles had climbed to 81st. In Year 3, they reached 72nd.
You start to notice a trend here.
Each year that DeBoer has been a coach, his offense has greatly improved.
During his two seasons as Fresno State's offensive coordinator, the Bulldogs went from the nation's 93rd-ranked scoring offense to 35th.
Then in 2019, he took the OC job at Indiana and helped the Hoosiers increase their scoring average by four points per game from the previous season.
When he got called on to take the Fresno State head coaching job, DeBoer helped lead the Bulldogs to a 9-3 record and a New Mexico Bowl win, which ultimately caught the eye of the University of Washington.
In Seattle, DeBoer turned the Huskies into a premier program, leading them to an undefeated regular season, the program's first College Football Playoff appearance and ultimately the national championship game.
But while at Washington, we started to notice a skill from DeBoer that coaches spend years trying to figure out.
His keen eye for talent.
He was able to get the best out of quarterback Michael Penix Jr., putting him in the Heisman conversation, and becoming a top-10 pick in the NFL Draft. But he also created value for wide receivers like Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan.
In his first two seasons at Alabama, we’ve seen that eye for talent work in his favor several times.
He’s managed to get significant production out of three-star recruits like Lotzier Brooks and London Simmons, both as true freshmen. Now, we're hearing similar buzz about the three-star freshman running back Trae’shawn Brown, and how he’s already ready to compete.
Continuity has never been DeBoer's calling card. Adaptation has.
At every stop, DeBoer has entered a new environment, identified the talent at his disposal and found a way to make it work. Now, for the first time in his FBS career, he'll have the opportunity to spend more than three years in the same place.
And if his history is any indication, that could be when DeBoer is at his best.
