"There was not a perfect candidate that checked every box": Alabama AD reveals how Nick Saban's replacement Kalen DeBoer was hired

With the retirement of Nick Saban, the Alabama Crimson Tide were tasked with trying to land a suitable replacement before eventually hiring Kalen DeBoer as the successor.

Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne recently shed light on hiring DeBoer, saying that it was not an easy task to find someone who could try to replicate what one of the greatest football coaches in history had achieved.

"There was not a perfect candidate that checked every single box. Except for probably Nick Saban," Byrne said on "The Paul Finebaum Show." "Unfortunately, he didn’t interview for the job this time. Tongue-in-cheek when I say that."

Byrne said that the search for Saban's successor was not a linear process with a predetermined list.

“We had vetted, probably, a couple dozen coaches over the years that we thought, OK, could they make sense?" Byrne said. "Some made a lot more sense than others. We had criteria of what we were looking for. The reality is, none of them fit."

Swift decision to appoint Kalen DeBoer

As rumors of Saban's retirement had circulated for years, Byrne had been preparing for this moment. Even so, immediately after Saban's announcement on Jan. 10, Byrne began reaching out for advice.

“I called some of our former players who had played for coach Saban," Byrne said. "Some in the past. I talked to Joe Namath and many others just to get some feedback and see if they had any thoughts that they’d like to give me. They’ve got great perspective."

Despite considering a dozen coaches over the years, none seemed to fit the mold perfectly. However, in Kalen DeBoer, the Crimson Tide found a coach who came the closest.

Kalen DeBoer, who led Washington to a national championship game appearance this month, demonstrated the qualities Byrne was seeking.

Describing the moment he met DeBoer in Seattle, Byrne said:

"I could tell coach DeBoer was very comfortable in his skin and who he is as a coach and looked at this as a challenge and as an opportunity and not as a detriment."

This attitude, according to Byrne, positioned DeBoer as the ideal candidate to carry on Saban's legacy. Alabama hired DeBoer on Jan. 12, two days after Saban retired.