Kalen DeBoer gets grilled about leaving Washington for Alabama on Seattle radio show

It was an opportunity of a lifetime for new Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer. Days after taking the Washington Huskies to the national championship game, he was handpicked to be Nick Saban's successor in Tuscaloosa. We may never fully know the truth, but he beat out most notably Florida State head coach Mike Norvell for the gig. Norvell probably did not want to leave Tallahassee either.

While hiring a complete outsider came as quite the shock in the college football world, it has become increasingly clear that DeBoer may have been the perfect candidate to replace the greatest head coach of all time in the modern college landscape. His Washingtonian department was not without controversy. Thankfully, he took some time to clear that up while appearing on local Seattle radio.

DeBoer said while on KJR Radio 93.3 FM that he had no idea the Alabama job was opening up.

"Zero percent chance. There were no distractions. I've always prided myself on having 100 percent focus, and that's exactly what I and my staff had."

I believe that, but keep in mind he and Saban are both Jimmy Sexton clients. I do agree with this.

"This was the only place I would have left Washington for."

As far as why he didn't stay at U-Dub, it may have had more to do with Troy Dannen than anything.

"The numbers weren't there."

Lastly, DeBoer made it a point to thank new USC athletic director Jennifer Cohen for believing in him.

"I appreciate the way she took a chance on me. There were questions whether I could do the job at a Power 5 school."

There is a lot at play that led to DeBoer leaving Washington, but a perfect storm was brewing, aight.

Kalen DeBoer went on Seattle radio to explain why he left Washington

It is all about relationships. DeBoer having the same representation as Saban probably put him on Greg Byrne's radar for him to be a serious candidate to succeed the greatest college football coach of all time. Alabama may be in the southeast, but this is a national power for a reason. If you love football, and winning, there is a chance you are going to love the Tide, or feel some way about them...

Another big factor is that Dannen didn't hire him. Cohen did. She left to replace Mike Bohn at USC. You don't even know! Dannen came to Seattle to essentially play one season as a special teamer for the Seahawks before taking over for Trev Alberts at Nebraska. The former Tulane athletic director was part of the athletic director hiring chain that resulted from Gene Smith retiring from his Ohio State gig.

Lastly, money talks and ish walks. With DeBoer being a client of the best coaching agent in the profession in Sexton, that is all you need to know. Washington could have put forth top-dollar to keep its outstanding head coach around, but once again, U-Dub revealed itself to be the best stepping stone job in the Power Four. I wish it wasn't the case, but that is just the way it is for the poor Huskies.

Overall, I wish DeBoer nothing but the best except for when the Tide play my beloved Georgia Bulldogs. While I am not sure if his tenure in Tuscaloosa will be anything like his dynastic predecessor's, I have a feeling that DeBoer is going to win at least one national championship as the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide before his run is through. He has his own legacy to build.

Leaving Washington was an incredibly difficult decision, but I respect what DeBoer had to do here.