"I have always had an incredible respect for Alabama football and its commitment to excellence," DeBoer said in a press release. "The tradition-rich history of this program is unmatched across the landscape of college athletics, and I look forward to continuing that moving forward. Following Coach Saban is an honor. He has been the standard for college football, and his success is unprecedented. I would not have left Washington for just any school. The chance to lead the football program at The University of Alabama is the opportunity of a lifetime. My family and I feel truly blessed and look forward to becoming a part of the Tuscaloosa community. I want to thank Director of Athletics Greg Byrne, President Stuart R. Bell, Chancellor Finis St. John and The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees for their belief in me to lead this program."

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 vs. ranked teams, and he's 18-3 in playoff games as a head coach.

Prior to taking over at Washington, DeBoer spent two seasons at Fresno State, going 12-6 and leading the Bulldogs to the 2021 New Mexico Bowl. His first head-coaching stop was at his alma mater, the University of Sioux Falls, where he spent five seasons (2005-09) at the helm going 67-3 with three NAIA national titles and three national Coach of the Year awards.

Other coaching stops for DeBoer include Indiana (2019 – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks), Fresno State (2017-18 – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks), Eastern Michigan (2014-16 – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks), Southern Illinois (2010-13 – Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers), Sioux Falls (2000-04 – Offensive Coordinator; 1997 – Wide Receivers) and Washington HS (1998-99 – Assistant Coach).

DeBoer coached 2023 Maxwell Award winner Michael Penix Jr. as well as the offensive line that took home this season's Joe Moore Award. While at Sioux Falls, he developed three NAIA National Player of the Year winners in quarterbacks Lorenzo Brown (2009) and Chad Cavender (2007) and running back Nick Kortan (2002) and 25 first team All-Americans.

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.