Kalen DeBoer got a hero’s welcome in Alabama.
The former Washington head coach, and now new leader of the Crimson Tide, got off a jet at Tuscaloosa National Airport on Friday night to a gaggle of supporters and media members amid the frenzy.
Video and images from the scene showed DeBoer, 49, stepping off of the plane and waving to the crowd, to whom he eventually walked toward, slapping hands and bumping fists from the other side of a barbed wire fence.
DeBoer even posed for a photo with one group on the tarmac.
He was eventually escorted from the airport to the Tuscaloosa campus by the University of Alabama Police Department.
Quarterback Jalen Milroe was also seen waving to fans as he was set to join a meeting with players and the new coach at the school.
It was a raucous scene for the fans of the vaunted SEC squad, who chanted “Roll Tide, roll,” as they waited to see the first glimpse of their new head coach.
DeBoer will have lofty shoes to fill, taking over for the legendary Nick Saban, who went 206-29 with six national titles in 17 seasons at Alabama.
The newest football boss is coming off his own tremendous season at Washington after he won the Pac-12 championship before falling short to Michigan in the College Football Playoff title game.
In a statement on Friday, DeBoer expressed his excitement to join the illustrious program.
“I have always had an incredible respect for Alabama football and its commitment to excellence,” DeBoer said in a release from the school. “The tradition-rich history of this program is unmatched across the landscape of college athletics, and I look forward to continuing that moving forward. Following Coach Saban is an honor. He has been the standard for college football, and his success is unprecedented. I would not have left Washington for just any school.
“The chance to lead the football program at The University of Alabama is the opportunity of a lifetime.”
DeBoer went 25-3 in his two seasons with the Huskies, winning two bowl games.