Four days after playing for a national championship, Washington is looking for a new coach.
Kalen DeBoer is off to Alabama after rapidly elevating Washington to elite status. DeBoer went 25-3 in two seasons with the Huskies, winning every matchup against a ranked opponent until Monday's title game loss to No. 1 Michigan. He inherited talent, supplemented it through the portal with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and others, and used a dynamic offense and a close-knit team culture to propel Washington back to the national stage.
Washington now must act quickly but intelligently to maintain its trajectory without DeBoer, and most likely several key assistants and staff members who could follow him. The Huskies will enter the Big Ten this coming season but must replenish their roster after key departures, especially on offense.
The school hired athletic director Troy Dannen from Tulane in October to ideally keep DeBoer or find a strong successor. Dannen made a home-run hire with Willie Fritz at Tulane and has led athletic departments since 2008, when he took over at Northern Iowa, his alma mater.
He will survey a candidate pool that includes several strong internal options who can maintain continuity, as well as successful coaches outside the program who could guide Washington's Big Ten transition.
Here's a look at eight possible options for Washington as it seeks DeBoer's replacement.
Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb: A career that got jump-started with a $2,700 annual salary to work for DeBoer at Sioux Falls has skyrocketed in recent years. Grubb has become one of the nation's top offensive coordinators and last year turned down opportunities at both Alabama and Texas A&M to remain with DeBoer at Washington. He now might be in line to take over with the Huskies. The 48-year-old from Iowa also worked alongside DeBoer at Eastern Michigan and Fresno State before following him to Seattle. During the past two seasons, Washington ranks No. 7 nationally in scoring (37.1 ppg) and sixth in yards per game (487 ypg). If Washington doesn't promote Grubb, it also runs the risk of losing him with DeBoer off to Alabama.
Kansas coach Lance Leipold: A championship-winning coach with dynamic offenses at college football's lower levels who has won everywhere he has been? Washington landed one in DeBoer and could seek a similar profile in Leipold, who built his reputation by guiding Wisconsin-Whitewater, his alma mater, to six Division III national titles between 2007 and 2013. Leipold, 59, guided Buffalo to two 10-win seasons and an AP top-25 finish before coming to Kansas, the nation's worst Power 5 program at the time. He has led the Jayhawks to 15 wins over the past two seasons and a No. 23 AP finish this year, the program's first top-25 finish since 2007. Kansas has taken care of Leipold with money and resources, and he could finish his career there. But one big move is possible, and a Big Ten job would make a lot of sense for the former Wisconsin graduate assistant.
Kansas State coach Chris Klieman: There are reasons Klieman and Leipold are often grouped together in lists like this one, beyond their common tie to the state of Kansas. Like Leipold, Klieman initially excelled outside the FBS, helping North Dakota State win four FCS national titles between 2014 and 2018. He also has translated his approach well to the Power 5, helping Kansas State win the Big 12 in 2022 and record consecutive AP top-20 finishes. The Wildcats have won eight or more games in four of five seasons under Klieman, 56, who is 111-37 overall as a college coach. His line-of-scrimmage approach is perfect for Washington. Klieman and Dannen attended Northern Iowa at the same time, and Klieman served as an assistant at UNI during Dannen's first three years as AD.
Arizona coach Jedd Fisch: There aren't many bona fide candidates in a dissolving Pac-12, but Fisch certainly has positioned himself for better opportunities. He revived Arizona at arguably the program's lowest points, improving his wins total from one in 2021 to 10 this past season, when the Wildcats won the Alamo Bowl and finished No. 11 nationally. Fisch, 47, has hopscotched the football world, making stops with seven NFL teams, including the Seattle Seahawks in 2010. He has spent time on the West Coast with UCLA and the Los Angeles Rams, and also knows the Big Ten from earlier stops at both Michigan and Minnesota. Fisch returns a very strong team as Arizona transitions to the Big 12, and might want to hold out for an opening at Florida, his alma mater. But Washington would be foolish not to gauge his interest.
Washington wide receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard: Grubb isn't the only internal candidate who could be considered, as Shephard has good support within the building. The 40-year-old oversaw the nation's top wide receiving corps in 2023 and also served as Washington's passing game coordinator and associate head coach. An Indiana native, Shephard has familiarity with the main Big Ten footprint as well as the league, after serving as a Purdue assistant from 2018 to 2021. He has worked under two excellent offensive coaches in DeBoer and Jeff Brohm, and boasts a charismatic personality that would resonate well outside the program like it does within. Like Grubb, Shephard can help Washington maintain its current track. He also spent time in the state at Washington State in 2016.
Iowa State coach Matt Campbell: He was on Washington's candidate list the last time around and had support from former Huskies coach Chris Petersen and others. Campbell's profile has dipped a bit since then, as Iowa State is 18-20 over the past three seasons. But Campbell's overall performance stands out at one of the tougher Power 5 jobs, as Iowa State has reached bowls in six of the past seven seasons, with a No. 9 finish in 2020. The 44-year-old has a solid offensive background and a no-frills personality that should connect well with those in and around Washington. He hasn't coached outside the Midwest but could help Washington get settled in the Big Ten.
Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson: The key is whether Washington can look beyond Wake Forest's 4-8 record in 2023 and evaluate Clawson's overall accomplishments. The process shouldn't be hard, as Clawson drew significant interest from Washington before it hired DeBoer. He guided Wake Forest to seven consecutive bowls and an ACC championship game appearance in 2021 before this past season's struggles. Clawson, 59, has won everywhere he has been -- Fordham, Richmond, Bowling Green, Wake Forest -- and would bring an innovative offense to a program used to piling up points and yards under DeBoer. He also could benefit from a program with greater NIL and recruiting resources, after losing quarterback Sam Hartman and other key players from Wake Forest in recent years.
Chris Petersen: You never know if you don't try, right? The former Washington coach repeatedly has said he's done coaching college football, especially given the game's new challenges around NIL and the portal. But Washington should at least gauge the interest of the 59-year-old, who went 55-26 with the Huskies and guided them to their first CFP appearance in 2016. Petersen won two Pac-12 titles at Washington and boasts a 147-38 overall record as a college coach with nine AP top-16 finishes and three top-five finishes. He would need to feel comfortable coaching in today's college football, but if so, Washington absolutely should pursue the future Hall of Famer.