Early coaching career After graduating from the University of Sioux Falls, DeBoer remained in the city of
Sioux Falls, South Dakota as an assistant coach at
Washington High School. Following Young's retirement, Sioux Falls promoted DeBoer to head coach on December 1, 2004. As head coach from 2005 to 2009, DeBoer had a record of 67–3 and won three
NAIA national championships in 2006, 2008, and 2009 and a runner-up appearance in 2007. The Hoosiers averaged 433.2 yards per game under DeBoer, ranking third in the Big Ten for the season.
Fresno State In 2020, DeBoer was hired as the head football coach at
Fresno State. In the COVID-19 pandemic shortened season, he led the Bulldogs to a 3–3 record. In the 2021 season, he led Fresno State to a 9–3 regular season record. The season was highlighted with ranked victories over
UCLA and
San Diego State. The Bulldogs qualified for the New Mexico Bowl, where they defeated
UTEP 31–24.
Washington On November 29, 2021, DeBoer was hired as the head football coach at the
University of Washington.
2022 In his first season with Washington, DeBoer led the team to a 10–2 regular season record. The season was highlighted with victories over ranked teams Michigan State, Oregon State, and Oregon. DeBoer was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the 2022 season. The Huskies finished the season with a 27–20 win over
Texas in the
Alamo Bowl, finishing 11–2.
2023 In his second season, Washington finished the regular season 12–0. Washington then defeated
Oregon 34–31 in the
Pac-12 Championship. DeBoer was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. DeBoer earned numerous accolades for the 2023 season, including Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, Home Depot Coach of the Year,
Sporting News College Football Coach of the Year, Walter Camp Coach of the Year, and AP Coach of the Year. DeBoer and the Huskies qualified for the 2023 College Football Playoff as the #2 seed. DeBoer helped lead Washington to a 37–31 victory over
Texas in the
Sugar Bowl. In the
CFP National Championship, DeBoer suffered his only loss of the season to
Michigan, 34–13. The Huskies finished the season 14–1.
Alabama 2024 On January 12, 2024, after the retirement of
Nick Saban, DeBoer accepted an offer to become the next head coach at the
University of Alabama. In his first season as Alabama head coach, the Tide started the season ranked fifth in the preseason AP and Coaches Poll. In the season opener, DeBoer picked up his first win as Alabama's head coach against
Western Kentucky 63–0. The following week Alabama struggled against
South Florida, but pulled away in the 4th quarter winning 42–16. The next week, Alabama traveled to
Madison, Wisconsin for the first time since 1928, defeating
Wisconsin 42–10. Following their first bye week, Alabama defeated
#2 Georgia 41–34, ending Georgia's 42-game regular-season win streak. The next day, Alabama moved to #1 in the AP Poll, marking the 16th year in the last 17 seasons the Tide have reached the top spot. The next week, DeBoer suffered his first loss as Alabama coach losing to
Vanderbilt 40–35. The loss snapped a 23 game win streak versus the Commodores, and was the Tide's first loss to Vanderbilt since 1984. The following week, the Tide overcame a late rally by
South Carolina to win 27–25. In the
Third Saturday in October, Alabama fell on the road to
#11 Tennessee 24–17. On homecoming, the Tide bounced back with a 34–0 shutout of
#21 Missouri. Following their second bye week, Alabama traveled to
Baton Rouge,
Louisiana dominating
#15 LSU 42–13. The next week the Tide defeated FCS
Mercer 52–7. The following week Alabama traveled to
Norman, OK losing to
Oklahoma 24–3. It’s the first time since 2010 the Tide have lost three regular season games. In the
Iron Bowl, Alabama bounced back with a win over
Auburn 28–14, earning the Tide their fifth straight win in the rivalry. DeBoer finished the regular season with a 9–3 record. On December 8, Alabama was selected to play in the
ReliaQuest Bowl against
Michigan in a rematch of the prior season's
Rose Bowl. The Tide lost 19–13, ending a 16 year streak for Alabama winning 10 or more games in a season. The Tide finished the season at 9–4. The Crimson Tide dropped their first game of the season, a road game against Florida State, 31–17. Alabama reeled off an eight-game winning streak which saw four consecutive wins against ranked opponents: Georgia, Vanderbilt, Missouri, and Tennessee. The win over Tennessee marked the time in SEC history that a team won four consecutive games against ranked teams with no bye week in the stretch. Alabama lost to Oklahoma on November 15 by a score of 23–21 to end the streak. Following wins over Eastern Illinois and Auburn, Alabama played Georgia once again in the SEC Championship, losing 28–7. Alabama was chosen for the College Football Playoff. In the First Round, they defeated Oklahoma in a rematch 34–24. In the quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl, Alabama lost to Indiana 38–3. ==Personal life==