Kalen DeBoer Syndication: Tuscaloosa News

After leading the Washington Huskies to the national championship game last season, head coach Kalen DeBoer left shortly after to become the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide after the abrupt departure of the legendary Nick Saban. But it sounds like it wasn’t an easy decision.

During a recent appearance on Next Up, Kalen DeBoer sent a pretty clear message to Washington as he opened up about just how difficult it was to leave that team and community, calling it “the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make.”

“Washington was amazing,” DeBoer said according to On3. “The people there are amazing, will always be that way. My family was just embraced in every way. We loved it there. And we’ll cherish our times, I mean it really (was the best two) years of my life coaching. And I think because of the age of my kids and just where we were at and them understanding what we’re going through. We just had a great time as a family, the staff, amazing staff and of course, the players are the ones that it all revolves around. And what they did and so you know, that was by far the hardest part. It’s been the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make.”

The Huskies replaced DeBoer with former Arizona Cardinals head coach Jedd Fish. We’ll have to see how each player does with their new team.

[On3]