When the head football coaching vacancy is filled at Texas A&M, all Aggie fans will want to see is their favorite football team winning at a high rate and competing for championships. Seasons of going 8-4 and 5-7 multiple years into a coach’s tenure are what the 12th Man will want to avoid.
If the Aggies are looking for a proven winner, look no further than current Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer. DeBoer is in his second season with the Huskies and has his team on the cusp of a college football playoff appearance with an 11-0 record. In total, Deboer is 101-11 as a head coach in his nine seasons with Sioux Falls, Fresno State and Washington.
There is no question that he knows what it takes to win and do so in a quick manner. The Huskies went 4-8 in 2021 before hiring DeBoer and immediately flipped the script in his first season, going 11-2.
DeBoer was named Pac-12 coach of the year in a 2022 season that saw him coach the Huskies to wins at Oregon and over Texas in the Alamo Bowl.
Much like the season before he was hired by the Huskies, Fresno State hired DeBoer after a 4-8 campaign, giving him his first head coaching job at a Division I program. His first season had peculiar circumstances due to COVID-19 and resulted in a 3-3 season.
However, he immediately turned it around the next season with quarterback Jake Haener, coaching the Bulldogs to a 9-3 season, which featured a close loss at Oregon. The fact that he had Fresno State, a team nowhere near the resources of the Ducks, playing with the big dogs in the country in such little time is impressive enough.
With the roster the Maroon and White have now, DeBoer could provide an immediate impact that sees the Aggies take full advantage of the talent on hand while also setting the groundwork for a successful future.
DeBoer contains an offensive mind, playing receiver in college while also working up the ranks of the Division I level as an offensive coordinator at Southern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Fresno State and Indiana.
If there is one thing the 12th Man has been begging for, it is a productive offense that takes advantage of the five-star talent in the locker room such as sophomore quarterback Conner Weigman, sophomore wide receiver Evan Stewart and freshman running back Rueben Owens.
The Huskies do not have one five star on the roster this season, yet their offense is No. 6 in the nation in yards per game. This shows further proof that DeBoer knows how to maximize the talent he has on hand.
On the recruiting side of things, DeBoer has shown that he can balance the high school ranks while also taking advantage of the transfer portal, something the Aggies have lacked in recent years.
DeBoer was able to recruit the Heisman favorite in 2023, senior quarterback Michael Penix Jr., out of the portal in 2022 while also recruiting the No. 26 composite class in 2023. It had been three years since the Huskies were able to recruit a class of that stature, with the No. 18 class in the nation coming in the 2020 season.
With the money, fan support and appeal of the Aggie Network, DeBoer would be able to showcase his recruiting at the highest level if the Aggies were to bring him to College Station.
DeBoer still has a season to finish, possibly bringing a national championship to the Huskies, but in the meantime, A&M would be smart to give him a look with his track record.