SEATTLE — Now that Kalen DeBoer is out as head coach of the Washington Huskies, the conversation turns to his potential replacement.
DeBoer, who led the team to a 24-3 record over two seasons, has accepted a coaching job at Alabama, replacing Nick Saban.
Saban retired on Wednesday following a 17-year career that included six national championships, nine SEC titles and an overall record of 206-29.
Here are some of the options that UW Athletic Director Troy Dannen could consider.
Ryan Grubb
At the top of the list is Washington Offensive Coordinator Ryan Grubb – if he doesn’t follow DeBoer to Alabama.
Grubb has spent a lot of time with DeBoer over the last 15 years. He followed DeBoer to Washington two years ago from Fresno State, where he was an associate head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Before that, Grubbs worked with DeBoer at Eastern Michigan and University of Sioux Falls.
Under Grubb’s coaching, Washington led the nation in passing offense (369.8 yards per game) and third-down conversions (57%).
Pete Kwiatkowski
Pete Kwiatkowski may be familiar to Husky fans from his time at UW. Since 2021, he has been the defensive coordinator at Texas, which UW beat in the Sugar Bowl earlier this month.
Kwiatkowski spent seven seasons at UW, six of which were under Chris Petersen. His final Husky season was with Jimmy Lake.
During his time at UW, Kwiatkowski helped coach one of the “strongest and most consistent” defenses, according to his bio on the Longhorns website. He saw 17 members of the Husky defense be drafted in the NFL, including 10 who went in the first two rounds.
Jedd Fisch
Jedd Fisch just capped a 9-3 season in his third year as head coach of the Arizona Wildcats, earning them an appearance in the Valero Alamo Bowl. The team finished third in the Pac-12, their highest finish since winning the south division and the team’s first bowl game since 2017.
After the dissolution of the Pac-12, Arizona is headed to the Big 12 next year, and Fisch could be lured by the opportunity to coach in the more prestigious Big Ten.
Lance Leipold
In his two seasons in Kansas, Lance Leipold’s rise has turned eyeballs, leading the Jayhawks to back-to-back bowl games in 2022 and 2023 – its first bowl berth since 2008. He also brought Kansas its first ranked win since 2010 and its first ranked win against a conference opponent at home since 2005.
Leipold’s overall resume is also impressive, boasting six NCAA Division III national championships and five times being awarded conference coach of the year. During his time at Wisconsin-Whitewater, Leipold tallied an astounding 109-6 record.
Justin Wilcox
The Cal head coach has ties to Washington from when he was a defensive coordinator for two seasons under then-coach Chris Petersen.
Justin Wilcox has spent seven seasons with Cal. In 2023, he led the Golden Bears to an appearance in the Independence Bowl.
When he was at Washington, Wilcox helped coach the Husky scoring defense to No. 29 in the nation in 2013, two years after they ranked below 105th in that category.