Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, Florida State coach Mike Norvell and Washington coach Kalen DeBoer have emerged as the top three candidates for the Alabama coaching position left vacant by Nick Saban’s retirement, multiple sources familiar with the process tell The Athletic. Meetings with Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne are expected to be completed by end of day Thursday and an announcement could come as soon as Friday, sources said.
Rees, 31, completed his first season at Alabama in 2023. He previously coached at Notre Dame from 2017-2022 as quarterbacks coach from 2017-19, then the next three seasons as offensive coordinator. One of the youngest assistants in the Saban era, Rees oversaw the transformation of Alabama’s 2023 offense that saw quarterback Jalen Milroe emerge as a name to know entering the 2024 season.
Norvell, who has done a terrific job rebuilding the Seminoles, has only a $4 million buyout. He took over a reeling program, and in four seasons has gone from three wins, to five wins, to 10 wins and the brink of the Playoff, going 13-1. The 42-year-old Texan, like DeBoer, has never coached in the SEC. But Norvell has shown that he has an excellent grasp of working the transfer portal and might be an interesting fit for the Tide. On Thursday, Norvell celebrated on social media the addition of Alabama offensive lineman Terrence Ferguson II from the NCAA transfer portal.
DeBoer has done a remarkable job in two seasons in Seattle. He took over a 4-8 team two years ago and led them to the national title game this season. The 49-year-old DeBoer, who won three NAIA national titles at Sioux Falls, has a staggering career record of 104-12. Over the past two years, the Huskies went 10-1 versus Top-25 teams. DeBoer is 12-2 all-time against ranked opponents.
“As head coaches, we all talk about poise in the moment, but he just lives it,” Washington State coach Jake Dickert told The Athletic last week. “He is so cool, so collected. He is able to stay through every moment and keep pushing through it. Right, wrong or indifferent, he proves that coaching really matters because most of the guys on that roster now were on that 4-8 team two years ago — and I know (quarterback Michael) Penix wasn’t, but almost all of the other guys were still there. What he’s done to transform those guys is pretty damn incredible. I know he’s got the respect of the whole coaching world.”
The South Dakota native is a brilliant offensive mind and culture builder. He loves it at Washington, and his daughter will be a freshman on the Huskies softball team next year. He has never worked in the SEC, which might give some at Alabama pause as that league is seen as a different animal, but DeBoer recently hired Jimmy Sexton, the same agent as Saban and many SEC coaches. The Bama opening could lead to Sexton negotiating big raises for other coaches.
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