Kalen DeBoer Is Ranked Fourth in the SEC and Seattle Still Has the Receipts
Alright, 12s, gather 'round the digital water cooler, because there's some news from the college football world that's got echoes bouncing right here off the Puget Sound. Remember Kalen DeBoer, the wizard who had our Huskies flying high, making us all believe again? Well, he's still out there making waves, this time down in the mighty SEC. On3's Chris Low just dropped his latest head coach rankings for the 2026 season, and guess where our former guy landed? Fourth-best in the entire darn conference, baby! Yeah, you heard that right. Fourth! It's a ranking that feels both expected for anyone who watched him work his magic here, and yet still pretty mind-blowing for how fast it’s happened.
The Rapid Ascent Continues, No Surprise Here
Fourth-best, already! It's wild to think about. This is only his third year in Tuscaloosa, and he's already elbowing his way into the top tier of arguably the toughest conference in all of college football. For those of us who packed Husky Stadium and cheered our lungs out, this isn't exactly a shocker, is it? We saw firsthand the kind of transformation he brought. Last year, DeBoer led the Crimson Tide to their first College Football Playoff appearance and, get this, their first victory in the post-Nick Saban era. That's not just coaching, that's immediate, undeniable impact. He stepped into a role that felt impossible, following a legend, and kept the winning machine rolling. The man doesn't just show up, he delivers.
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Entering the 2026 campaign, the pressure cooker is on, and he's got major expectations on him. But you just know he's carrying a chip on his shoulder the size of Mount Rainier. We saw that fierce, competitive fire when he was here, relentlessly pushing our team to achieve things nobody thought possible. That kind of drive doesn't just disappear. It just finds new opponents to prove wrong, and new heights to conquer.
Elite Company and a Warning Shot
So, who's still ahead of him in these rankings, you ask? Only the absolute titans of the sport: Kirby Smart at Georgia, Steve Sarkisian at Texas, and Lane Kiffin over at LSU. That's some seriously elite company, guys. Yet, even being slotted at fourth might actually come as a surprise to some outside of the Pacific Northwest, especially given how quickly he's managed to elevate Alabama's program. For us, watching him climb that list feels like a bit of vindication, a confirmation of the talent we knew we had.
The dude has consistently improved throughout each of his first two seasons there, building something significant. And here's the kicker: the source tells us he's got a "plethora of young talent up-and-down the Tide's roster" at his disposal this year. Seriously, think about that combination: an already top-tier, improving coach with a proven track record, that signature chip on his shoulder, and a stacked roster. If you're any other team in the SEC, you better be taking notes, because this guy is for real, and he's not slowing down.
What It Means for the Season Ahead
So, what does this all boil down to for us Seattle fans? It means we saw greatness in action, right here at home, often before the rest of the college football world fully caught on. DeBoer is in year three at Alabama, and if they start exceeding those already-stratospheric expectations, he's absolutely going to find himself much, much higher on that list. Keep your eyes on the SEC this fall, folks. Our former guy is still out there, showing the world what he can do, and we, the 12s, we've got the receipts to prove we knew it all along. Get ready for an exciting season of football, even if our guy isn't wearing purple anymore!
This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.