Tumultuous week leaves Washington trying to rebuild after title game loss, coach departure
SEATTLE (AP) — In five days, Washington went from the precipice of its first national title in more than three decades to a program in shambles.
Its roster — many players headed to the NFL draft, others already saying they’re headed to the transfer portal, including the presumptive next quarterback.
What was as a devastating week for Washington came to a conclusion on Friday when Kalen DeBoer left the school to take the head job at Alabama and the chance at being Nick Saban’s replacement with the Crimson Tide.
DeBoer walked away from the potential of a massive new contract with the Huskies for the opportunity of leading one of the premier programs in the country with resources and cachet that new Washington athletic director Troy Dannen couldn’t match.
But by doing so, DeBoer left a program facing an uncertain future and major challenges headed to the Big Ten starting next season with a roster that could be picked apart by the time a new coach is in place.
As edge rusher Zion Tuputola-Fetui posted on social media on Friday, “Sometimes we have to be reminded it’s all a business.”
“We are sad to see him leave and we did all that we could to keep Kalen at UW,” Dannen said in a statement Friday night.
It’s hard to find the downside in a 14-1 season that ended with playing for a national title. Even into the early moments of the fourth quarter of Monday’s 34-13 loss to Michigan, there were hopes that Washington could put together one more comeback and win the school’s first title since 1991.
But the success of the season raised DeBoer’s profile to the point of being on Alabama’s short list when Saban decided to step away. Throw in that Dannen is new in Seattle — he was hired in October — and it created a circumstance where DeBoer leaving for a premier job was a possibility.
