2022 Purdue Football Coaching Search - Kalen DeBoer
Feature image from Ted S. Warren / The Associated Press
Who Is He?
Currently Head Coach at the University of Washington. Seriously, how does Washington tend to cycle through successful head coaches like they seem to always do? Maybe it’s a well-run athletic department, good culture, commitment to the program, etc. WHOMST CAN SAY. (No, this isn’t a shot at Purdue….not currently, anyway. Bobinski and company have proven they are committed and the fans have responded in kind.)
Kalen DeBoer is an interesting idea for Purdue. He was one of those guys who absolutely dominates a lower division – in this case, NAIA Division II at Sioux Falls – and so people are skeptical if that will translate. Well, guys, it translates. I think we’ve seen it in some of the other hot coaching names right now. DeBoer went 67-3 at Sioux Falls (which I don’t want to write anymore because my brain can’t ever spell “Sioux” on the first try), including a preposterous 49-1 in conference play, winning three NAIA Championships in four years. Mercy.
To show you how resistant the big time level of CFB is to giving these guys a chance, that was all from 2005-2009. DeBoer then bounced from one coordinator job to another. Remember when IU’s offense got really explosive in 2019 (443 ypg)? That was DeBoer running the offense.
He finally got a job with Fresno State in 2020. The pandemic year was a .500 campaign but he then jumped to 9-3 last year and got snapped up by Washington…where he went 10-2 (7-2) and is slated to play in the Alamo Bowl for a shot at an 11-2 season. Holy hell.
He’s 48 years old, 89-11 as a college football coach, and seems to do literally nothing but win an make offenses better. (I may need to sit down, I’m feeling faint.)
Why would he be successful at Purdue?
There is absolutely no evidence to suggest he wouldn’t be excellent at Purdue. He dominated the lower division, immediately took Fresno to 9 wins and is 10-2 at Washington.
Why could he flop at Purdue?
The West division is only getting better and also who knows what the future holds for conference alignment. Maybe there are no divisions in a couple of years. Would it be harder to compete for 8-10 wins and conference supremacy if you’re battling for one top spot against the already-strong and only-getting-stronger Big Ten?
Would he come to Purdue?
This one is doubtful to me. Due to a recent contract extension/restructuring, he will make $4.2M next season and has a $10M buyout. For comparison, Brohm makes just over $5M plus has some longevity bonuses built in for sticking around. So Purdue could pay DeBoer more. The question, though, is leaving one of the best Pac 12 job for one of the (sorry to say) still lower-glamour Big Ten jobs a jump someone like DeBoer would consider? As I said, I kind of doubt it. He feels like a shooting star who will be at UW as long as he wants but will always be a name that comes up, much like Chris Peterson.
2022 PURDUE FOOTBALL HEAD COACHING CANDIDATES
