The Washington Huskies certainly did not let coach Kalen DeBoer depart for Alabama without a fight, at least based on comments made by athletic director Troy Dannen.
Dannen said the Huskies offered DeBoer what he called a “Big Ten package” to remain at Washington even before the Alabama job became available. DeBoer, however, balked at all of Washington’s offers, including one that would have paid him $9.4 million annually.
DeBoer balking at the offers led Dannen to consider that the coach might leave.
“We put numbers in front of him that were, quite frankly, unprecedented for this university,” Dannen said at a luncheon Thursday, via Mike Vorel of the Seattle Times. “We put a Big Ten package in front of Kalen, not a Pac-12 package.
“When it wasn’t signed, Kalen said the right things publicly, and I said the right things publicly … but it gives you pause.”
DeBoer essentially bet on himself and won. While terms of his Alabama contract have not been disclosed, he is thought to be getting over $10 million annually, better than Washington’s best offer.
Alabama is a destination job, and coaches may not get a second chance at it if they are even afforded the opportunity to turn it down. Money may have played a role, but the prestige was the biggest thing that Washington could never hope to match.
