Alabama Hires Longhorns Nemesis Kalen DeBoer as Head Coach

Kalen DeBoer has beaten the Longhorns two years in a row. Now, he is expected to join them in the SEC as Alabama's next head coach.

Matt Galatzan | Jan 12, 2024

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Texas Longhorns

The Texas Longhorns are fresh off one of their best seasons in school history, with Steve Sarkisian leading his team to a Big 12 title and the program's first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.

And after what was the final season for Texas in the Big 12, the Horns are now primed to enter the SEC in 2024, with a seemingly limitless future ahead.

However, in each of the last two seasons, one team and one coach have given the Horns more trouble than anyone - the Washington Huskies and Kalen DeBoer - who ended Texas' CFP run at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.

Now, according to reports, DeBoer is making his way to the SEC as well as the next head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, where he will replace Nick Saban after 17 seasons.

Washinton Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer, left, meets Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian, right, at the head coaches' press conference at the Sheraton hotel on Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Washington Huskies will take on the Texas longhorns in the College Football Playoff Semi-Finals on January 1, 2024. — Washinton Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer, left, meets Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian, right, at the head coaches' press conference at the Sheraton hotel on Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Washington Huskies will take on the Texas Longhorns in the College Football Playoff Semi-Finals on January 1, 2024 :: Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian was also in consideration for the job, but is expected to get a large extension in the near future to remain in Austin.

In his two seasons with the Huskies, DeBoer went 25-3, including a storybook 14-1 run to the national championship game where his team fell to the Michigan Wolverines at NRG Stadium.

In that time, he was also named the Pac-12 coach of the year for two straight seasons, and swept the national coach of the year awards across the board.

DeBoer will now head to Tuscaloosa hoping to keep an extremely talented roster intact for the Crimson Tide. That said, star receiver Isaiah Bond has already entered the NCAA Transfer Portal and more could follow.

Alabama's Isaiah Bond to Visit Texas, Longhorns 'Serious Contenders'

Fortunately for the Horns - who are already set to face Georgia, Michigan and Oklahoma next season, Alabama will not be on the regular season schedule in 2024.

When the Horns and DeBoer do face off yet again, however, it could very well be for an SEC title.

Published Jan 12, 2024

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.