Washington’s Kalen DeBoer named AP coach of the year: Why he deserves the honor

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Washington’s Kalen DeBoer was named The Associated Press coach of the year Tuesday after guiding the Huskies to a 13-0 record, the Pac-12 title and a College Football Playoff berth in his second year in Seattle.

He is the first Washington coach to earn the honor and the third Pac-12 coach to be named AP coach of the year in the last 25 years, along with Mike MacIntyre in 2016 (Colorado) and Chip Kelly in 2010 (Oregon).

DeBoer received 30 of 52 first-place votes. He had 113 points overall from AP Top 25 poll voters, earning the award over Florida State head coach Mike Norvell (57 points), Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz (38) and Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch (28), per the AP. No other coaches received multiple first-place votes.

The Huskies are 11th in the country with 37.7 points per game, have the nation’s leading passer (Michael Penix Jr. with 4,218 yards) and the second-leading receiver (Rome Odunze at 1,428 yards).

No. 2 Washington plays No. 3 Texas in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1.

Why DeBoer deserved the honor

I voted for DeBoer, and the reasoning is fairly simple: Washington has been transformed since he took over last season. Though the credit on offense is shared with Heisman Trophy runner-up quarterback Penix, a deep receiving corps and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, among others, DeBoer inherited a 4-8 team that was a mess in 2021 and has gone 24-2 in two years.

It’s hard to argue with an undefeated record — including two wins against rival Oregon — with a Pac-12 championship and the conference’s first College Football Playoff bid since 2016. The Huskies are 5-0 against ranked opponents and 7-0 in one-possession games, and they are in the CFP despite typically lagging behind the other CFP teams in recruiting rankings.

That’s not to say DeBoer is the only deserving choice. Voters had several worthy options, including the other two coaches on my ballot: Norvell and Texas’ Steve Sarkisian.

Norvell has led FSU from the doldrums to a 13-0 season that ended with a Playoff snub and Orange Bowl bid, and Sarkisian has finally unlocked the potential of the Longhorns, who went through more than a decade of disappointment before finally claiming their first Big 12 title since 2009 and first CFP bid.

All are worthy choices, but to this point, at least, DeBoer has led his team to the best season after a swift turnaround. Now, he’ll try to bring Washington its first national championship since 1991. — Matt Brown, college football deputy managing editor

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(Photo: Stephen R. Sylvanie / USA Today)