Brock Huard details the style Kalen DeBoer brings to UW Huskies
Nov 30, 2021, 11:14 AM
Head coach Kalen DeBoer of the Fresno State Bulldogs looks on before an Oct. 2 game at Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
(Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
The next UW Huskies head football coach has been hired in Kalen DeBoer, who comes to Montlake after two successful seasons as head coach at Fresno State.
UW Huskies name Fresno State’s Kalen DeBoer head coach
DeBoer isn’t the biggest name to go to a Pac-12 school this week, in part because his only head coaching experience prior to Fresno State was at his alma mater, Sioux Falls, who he led to three NAIA national championships over his four-year tenure from 2005 to 2009.
In between the head coaching jobs at Sioux Falls and Fresno State, DeBoer was an offensive coordinator at Southern Illinois (2010-13), Eastern Michigan (2014-16), Fresno State (2017-18) and Indiana (2019).
So what can be expected of DeBoer’s system with the UW Huskies? Brock Huard, a FOX Sports college football analyst and former Husky QB, shared his insight Tuesday morning during his daily segment on 710 ESPN Seattle’s Mike Salk Show.
“He will bring a physical, well-coached style that elevates his quarterback. That’s what he’s done everywhere he’s been,” Huard said. “That’s what he did in Indiana with Michael Penix, it’s what he did at Fresno with Jake Haener, that is what he did as a smaller college coach when he won at an unbelievably historic rate.”
Though DeBoer is relatively unknown to anybody who isn’t a college football die-hard, Huard is hearing good things about Washington’s new hire.
“Got a bunch of texts from people yesterday and some emails from folks around college football, people that I’ve seen over the landscape of college sports, just saying, ‘You’re gonna like this dude. You’re gonna like it. It’s not the name that you wanted or people wanted, but you are really going to like this dude.'”
Huard said the next big question is whether Ryan Grubb, who served as DeBoer’s offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and associate head coach at Fresno State, joins him in Seattle.
“He’s going to surround himself with a very good staff. I think what’s to keep an eye on now is his coordinator down there at Fresno State. Let’s see if he is elevated to the head job or if (DeBoer) can bring him with him to Seattle. That would be a pretty important next phase of this thing to watch.”
You can hear Huard’s full conversation from Tuesday morning with Mike Salk, which includes a lot of reaction to the Seahawks and touches on the Mariners’ signing of ace Robbie Ray, in the final segment of the podcast at this link or in the player below.
