Six years ago, Kalen DeBoer was dialing up plays in Bloomington, Indiana, trying to breathe life into a Hoosiers offense that had long struggled to find its rhythm. It was his first Power Four job-just one season as Indiana’s offensive coordinator-but it turned out to be a springboard. Now, six years later, DeBoer is leading Alabama into the College Football Playoff, preparing for a Rose Bowl clash against the very team that helped launch his rise.
Yeah, you read that right. Alabama vs.
Indiana. DeBoer vs. his old stomping grounds.
You couldn’t script it better if you tried.
On New Year’s Day, DeBoer’s Crimson Tide will face top-ranked Indiana in Pasadena, a CFP quarterfinal that feels more like destiny than coincidence. For DeBoer, who just led Alabama past Oklahoma in the first round, it’s a full-circle moment-one even he’s still wrapping his head around.
“I wouldn't trade it for the world,” DeBoer said during Monday’s Rose Bowl press conference. “There are things you experience that give you appreciation for where you are now. And there are moments that shape you-going back to my Sioux Falls days, to now being here at Alabama.”
There’s a calmness in DeBoer’s voice. Not indifference, but perspective.
His time at Indiana was brief, but impactful. In 2019, he helped the Hoosiers win eight games-just the eighth time in program history they’d hit that mark.
That season didn’t just boost Indiana’s profile; it helped DeBoer chart a path that would eventually take him to the top of the college football mountain.
But don’t expect him to dwell on nostalgia. DeBoer’s focus is squarely on the present-and that means respecting an Indiana program that’s undergone a remarkable transformation under head coach Curt Cignetti.
“We understand we’ve got a great football team with Indiana,” DeBoer said. “What Coach Cignetti has done is amazing, building the program to this level in just two years.”
That respect hits different coming from DeBoer. He’s seen Indiana from the inside.
He knows the uphill battle, the quiet stadiums, the years of mediocrity. In 2019, he took over an offense that had flashes of potential but lacked consistency.
By season’s end, IU had one of the more dynamic units in the Big Ten-and for a moment, it felt like the Hoosiers were turning a corner.
“I do pay attention just because it’s a place I’ve been,” DeBoer said. “When I was there, you could feel the growth, the investment. There was success in ’19 that felt like getting over the hump, and that carried into the next season.”
His favorite memory? A gritty 38-31 win at Nebraska that year.
It wasn’t a headline-grabber nationally, but for Indiana, it was a landmark moment. That win secured bowl eligibility for just the 12th time in school history-and it was a clear sign that DeBoer’s offensive vision could change the trajectory of a program.
Now, as he prepares to face Indiana on the biggest stage of his career, DeBoer sees the same kind of energy and belief that he once tried to instill in Bloomington.
“Coach Cignetti has done a great job providing the spark,” DeBoer said. “When people are all in, you get moments like this. The energy and commitment-they feed off each other.”
There’s a quiet symmetry between these two coaches, even if their paths never crossed directly. Cignetti, like DeBoer, didn’t get the fast track.
He left a comfortable job under Nick Saban at Alabama to chase head coaching dreams at Division II Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He didn’t get his first Power Four head coaching gig until 2023.
DeBoer spent nearly two decades grinding at the non-FBS level before finally landing a Power Four head coaching job at Washington in 2022.
No shortcuts. No handouts. Just years of building, learning, and waiting for the right opportunity.
“Coach DeBoer, I’ve been following his program for a long time,” Cignetti said. “He kind of started out lower level like I did.
Ever since he went to Washington, I’ve really studied his offense. I think he’s a great coach.”
And now, here they are-two coaches who climbed the long road to the top, meeting in the Rose Bowl with a trip to the CFP semifinals on the line. It’s more than a game. It’s a meeting of past and present, of old roots and new heights.
“Nothing but a great time there that I had,” DeBoer said of his time at Indiana. “It was short-lived, but one that I remember-and my family as well.”
Come January 1, the past and present collide in Pasadena. And for Kalen DeBoer, it’s not just another playoff game. It’s a reminder of how far he’s come-and how the journey, no matter how brief, always leaves its mark.