SEATTLE — Many University of Washington fans were dismayed by the way Kalen DeBoer handled his departure from the school this offseason, but newly released details about his contract with the University of Alabama might make it harder to lament his choice.
The University of Alabama Board of Trustees compensation committee formally approved the contract for DeBoer earlier this week, which is set to pay the 49-year-old at least $87 million over eight years. The contract runs through 2033 and calls for a salary of $11.75 million in his final season with $250,000 annual raises.
There are also six-figure bonuses for DeBoer if he reaches certain benchmarks, like $600,000 for playing in a national championship game and $875,000 for winning a national title.
Considering DeBoer earned $4.2 million in his final season at UW, it becomes easier to understand why he would elect to walk away from the Huskies for a job that more than doubled his annual salary.
“High-level investment from high-level coaches is an important part of the success that we’ve had in our department," Alabama Athletic Director Greg Byrne told trustees. “I feel strongly that we continue to show that with the additional steps we’re taking today.”
Jedd Fisch, who replaced DeBoer at UW, also more than doubled his salary by leaving the University of Arizona to accept the position with the Huskies. Fisch will earn $7.5 million in 2024 with Washington, a steep increase from what would have been a $3.4 million figure with Arizona.
DeBoer did appear to have other things besides money motivating his departure, as reports from college football insiders like Yahoo! Sports' Ross Dellenger said UW was offering to give him a contract worth about $9 million annually. DeBoer also gets the chance to coach the most dominant program in the sport over the past 15 years and replace Nick Saban, who is among the most successful college football coaches of all time.
