"I just was always working": When Kalen DeBoer got real about his feelings inching closer to a national championship

Before he was the coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, Kalen DeBoer coached the Washington Huskies. In what became his final game in charge of the program, DeBoer led the team in the 2024 national championship game against the Michigan Wolverines.

Before that game, DeBoer and the Huskies beat the Texas Longhorns in the Sugar Bowl. In a December 2023 news conference a few days after he found out that the Huskies would be in the College Football Playoff, DeBoer was asked how he felt about being one game from the national title game.

"It (playing in the national championship game) was never where I was looking," DeBoer said (Timestamp: 7:55). "I was always working where I was, and my feet were planted in that place."

The journey that Kalen DeBoer undertook in his coaching career to get to the CFP stage was impressive.

He started at his alma mater, Sioux Falls, where he led the program to three NAIA championships. The NAIA is an alternative to the NCAA for small colleges.

From there, DeBoer went around top colleges as an assistant coach before becoming the head coach at Fresno State. His modest level of success with the Bulldogs was a springboard to the Huskies.

DeBoer's time in charge of the Huskies was brief (two seasons) but was able to make a massive impact on the program and his standing in college football.

The 2023 Washington Huskies' season was impressive. DeBoer led the team to an undefeated season in the Pac-12, in what would be their final season in the conference. After defeating the Oregon Ducks in the championship game, they were a definite pick for the four-team College Football Playoff.

What happened to Kalen DeBoer after the interview?

The interview was taken before the Huskies played in the Sugar Bowl against the Texas Longhorns, winning on the final play when Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers threw an incomplete pass.

The win sent DeBoer and Washington to the national championship game, where they faced the undefeated Michigan Wolverines. In the end, the Wolverines were too much for the Huskies, and Jim Harbaugh’s team won the national championship.

However, the rise of Kalen DeBoer didn't stop there. A few days after the national championship game, legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban announced his retirement. By the end of the week, DeBoer was the new coach of one of the biggest programs in college football, a role that he is slowly adapting to after his first season with the team.