Nick Saban won’t be coaching at the University of Alabama anymore, but his replacement, Kalen DeBoer, made it clear the legendary head coach would still have a presence.
Of how involved Saban, who retired after the Crimson Tide lost to eventual national champion Michigan in the CFP semifinals, would be in the future, DeBoer said Saturday Saban would have “100 percent access, OK? I’d be a fool if that wasn’t the case.”
DeBoer takes over for Saban after leading the University of Washington to the CFP national championship game, where the Huskies also fell to Michigan.
The 49-year-old DeBoer added Saban is “the best in the business to ever do it.”
Saban, 72, stunned the college football world when he announced his retirement last week after 17 seasons and six national championships in Tuscaloosa.
University of Alabama president Stuart Bell, in addition to introducing DeBoer as the Crimson Tide’s new head coach during a press conference on Saturday, made sure to also credit Saban.
“Your legacy will forever be interwoven with the fabric of the university,” Bell said.
Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne said he wanted Saban to remain the head coach as long as possible, but was prepared when Saban made his decision to step down.
“Over time, I was always preparing, hoping I’d never have to execute the plan,” Byrne said.
That plan included getting Saban’s input on his replacement.
To not do so, Byrne said, would have been “irresponsible.”
DeBoer coached in the NAIA before two seasons as head coach at Fresno State and two more at Washington before moving to the Alabama job.