Head Coach | Kalen DeBoer

Kalen DeBoer has produced unprecedented results at every stop of his coaching career. His hard work and dedication to his craft has shaped one of the most impressive resumes in college football after just nine years as a head coach.

DeBoer's coaching philosophy stresses the importance of class, integrity and academic success. He has a passion for bringing people together while building the total program. DeBoer believes in creating an environment that allows his players to thrive. He holds a deep commitment to developing the young men in his program and investing in them both on and off the field as they prepare for their next steps in life.

DeBoer and his staff believe in developing players athletically, academically, socially and spiritually so that they leave the program as better men. Beyond winning football games, it is about building a culture within the program that is contagious and producing a team that loves each other and are willing to play for each other.

There are three non-negotiables in DeBoer's program that have stood the test of time and resulted in stunning success: family, accountability and toughness.

During his 26 years in coaching, he has consistently prospered at multiple levels and in different roles, helping to build and revitalize programs while establishing a diverse network of contacts across the country, in both coaching and recruiting. In nine seasons as a head coach, DeBoer accumulated a record of 104-12, which includes a 25-3 record in his previous stop with the Washington Huskies and three NAIA National Championships at Sioux Falls.

DeBoer has a 12-2 record against top-25 teams in his four seasons at Fresno State and Washington. He also boasts a staggering 24-6 record in one-score contests across his nine years as a head coach, including a 12-2 mark at Washington in one-score games.

In 2023, he led Washington to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game with a victory over Texas in the Sugar Bowl. DeBoer's '23 group won the Pac-12 Championship and recorded the most wins in a season in program history (14). Additionally, he won the 2023 Associated Press, AFCA, Eddie Robinson, George Munger, Walter Camp, Sporting News and Home Depot Coach of the Year awards.

DeBoer became the first Washington coach to win 11-or-more games in consecutive seasons after going 11-2 in 2022 and 14-1 in 2023 and the first to win a bowl game in his first season with the Huskies. That success resulted in back-to-back Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors. His Washington squads also went 10-1 against ranked teams, and he is 18-3 in playoff games as a head coach, including his stint at Sioux Falls.

Along with winning the Pac-12 and the Sugar Bowl during the 2023 season, UW recorded two top-10 wins over Oregon along with victories against No. 12 Oregon State, No. 13 Utah and No. 24 USC.

He guided quarterback Michael Penix Jr. to the Maxwell Award and a record-setting season with 4,903 yards passing, 36 touchdowns and a 157.1 passer rating. Receiver Rome Odunze caught 92 passes for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns while running back Dillon Johnson gained 1,195 yards with 16 scores. Both players garnered first team All-America honors, while Odunze is set to become a first round draft pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

In his first year at UW, he led the Huskies to an 11-2 overall record after Washington finished 4-8 the previous year. They posted a 3-0 mark against ranked teams and a win over Texas in the Valero Alamo Bowl. His Huskies swept its three Northwest rivals and finished in a tie for second in the Pac-12, while he was named Pac-12 Co-Coach of the Year.

The Washinton offense produced an almost unprecedented turnaround in DeBoer's first season. Prior to his arrival in 2021, the Huskies finished 114th in total offense (323.4 ypg), 107th in scoring (21.5 ppg) and 73rd in passing (225.0 ypg) nationally. In 2022, UW ranked first nationally in passing (369.8 ypg), second in total offense (515.8 ypg) and seventh in scoring (39.7 ppg).

Penix Jr. threw for 4,641 yards and 31 touchdowns in DeBoer's first year. He completed 65.3 percent of his passes, averaging 357.0 yards per game with a 151.3 passer rating. Receivers Jalen McMillan and Odunze both cracked 1,000 yards receiving with McMillan hauling in 79 passes for 1,098 yards and nine touchdowns while Odunze had 75 catches for 1,145 yards and seven scores.

Prior to his time at UW, DeBoer spent two season as Fresno State, which included the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Under his guidance, the Bulldogs made great strides on both sides of the ball, posting a combined 12-6 record. Fresno was 4-8 in 2019 prior to DeBoer's arrival.

In 2021, Fresno State went 10-3 and defeated UTEP 31-24 in the New Mexico Bowl. The offense finished first in the MWC and 14th in the nation in total offense (464.8 yards per game) and second in the conference and 26th in the FBS in scoring (30.5 points per game). The Bulldogs' passing offense ranked second in conference and ninth in the country with 326.7 yards per game.

The offense, and passing game in particular, also flourished in 2020, as it produced a conference-best 479.3 yards total offense per game and the league's second-highest points per game total (32.8). Fresno State also led the Mountain West in passing yards per game, and ranked fifth in the FBS in that category, with 356.3 per game.

In DeBoer's two seasons in Fresno, the defense also made vast improvements in nearly every team defensive category over the 2019 season, the year before his arrival.

The Bulldogs' defense went from 82nd in the nation in scoring defense and 88th in total defense in 2019, to No. 20 and No. 31 in the FBS in 2021, respectively – improvements of 62 and 57 places. In terms of NCAA-FBS national ranking, the run defense improved from 71st to 24th while the pass defense leapt nearly 50 spots from 107th to 58th. Fresno State also improved its national ranking by 45-or-more places in yards allowed per play, opponent first downs, sacks, tackles for loss, third-down percentage defense and fourth-down percentage defense.

In 2021, Fresno State ranked among the top-25 nationally in scoring defense, tackles for loss, takeaways, fumble recoveries, third-down conversion defense and fourth-down conversion defense.

Immediately prior to leading Fresno State's program, DeBoer was on staff at Indiana University as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He helped guide the Hoosiers to an 8-5 record and a berth in the Gator Bowl. IU's eight victories in 2019 matched their highest wins total in 26 seasons, and IU ranked No. 3 in the Big Ten in total offense. Indiana averaged 432.8 yards of total offense per game, throwing for 302.4 yards per contest while rushing for 130.4.

DeBoer joined then-head coach Jeff Tedford as the Fresno State offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2017. In two seasons in that role, DeBoer helped the Bulldogs to overall records of 10-4 (2017) and 12-2 (2018), along with two division titles, two bowl game victories and the Mountain West Conference Championship in 2018.

DeBoer's two years as the Bulldogs' offensive coordinator concluded with a Mountain West Championship and Las Vegas Bowl win to cap a 22-6 run during the 2017-18 seasons. Those two seasons included double-digit wins each year, coming off a 1-11 campaign in 2016, the year prior to Tedford's (and DeBoer's) arrival.

Fresno State reached unprecedented heights in year No. 2 with DeBoer as the coordinator. The Bulldogs posted a school-record 12 victories and finished ranked No. 18 in both polls.

The offense ranked 26th nationally in scoring offense (34.6) and 29th in passing offense (267.1) while producing five all-conference honorees. The Bulldogs finished eighth nationally in team passing efficiency (156.58), tied for 15th in turnovers lost (14), tied for 19th nationally in red zone offense (89.5 percent) and ranked 25th in third-down conversions (44.6).

A school-record setting wide receiver at the University of Sioux Falls (S.D.), DeBoer later led his alma mater to three NAIA National Championships in five seasons as head coach, winning titles in 2006, 2008 and 2009, while also finishing as runner-up in 2007 and making the semifinals in his first season as head coach in 2005.

During his five seasons at Sioux Falls, DeBoer compiled a 67-3 overall record, including a 49-1 mark in Great Plains Athletic Conference play. He was NAIA National Coach of the Year in each of his three championship seasons at USF.

DeBoer coached three NAIA National Players of the Year winners in quarterbacks Lorenzo Brown (2009) and Chad Cavender (2007) and running back Nick Kortan (2002). During his time at USF, he helped develop 25 first team All-Americans.

After the 2009 season, he took a job at Southern Illinois as offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach from 2010 through 2013. He moved to Eastern Michigan as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2014 through 2016, helping the Eagles to their third-ever bowl-game berth in 2016. That year, the Eagles posted their first season of .500-or-better since 1995 and tied the FBS mark for biggest turnarounds in 2016, improving on its one-win season in 2015.

DeBoer's offense shattered the school record for total yards with 5,917. School records were also set for points scored (385), passing yards (3,849), touchdown passes (25), first downs (303), pass completions (309), plays (999) and single-game plays (99).

In his four seasons (2010-13) as offensive coordinator at Southern Illinois, the Salukis beat 10 top-25 opponents. In 2013, the SIU offense led the Missouri Valley Conference with 231.8 passing yards per game, the fourth-highest total in school history. SIU's 25 passing touchdowns on the season tied for the third-highest total in school history. Under DeBoer's tutelage, tight end MyCole Pruitt was named to the 2013 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) FCS All-America team while John Lantz developed into an All-MVFC receiver.

During the 2011 campaign, the Salukis ranked third in the nation with an average of 183.1 rushing yards a contest. Bryan Boemer also developed into the Rimington Award winner, which is presented to the nation's premier center.

A 1998 graduate of Sioux Falls with a degree in secondary education, DeBoer was a record-setting football and baseball student-athlete. During his football career, he compiled 3,400 yards and 33 touchdowns on 234 career receptions – all school records at the time – and played on the 1996 NAIA Division II National Championship team.

He also played baseball for the Cougars, batting .520 (still a school record) as a senior in 1998. His career average of .492 is tops in USF history, as are his 37 career homers and .944 slugging percentage.

DeBoer and his wife, Nicole, have two daughters, Alexis and Avery.