"Coach is a tank, they couldn't tackle him": When Michael Penix Jr. & Co. were impressed by Kalen DeBoer's tape from playing days
Michael Penix Jr. played two seasons under Kalen DeBoer at Washington before going pro. Before the Huskies' College Football Playoff final against Michigan in January 2024, the quarterback was shown a few tapes of DeBoer from his playing days at the college level.
It's safe to say that Penix Jr. and a few of his then-Washington players were left impressed with DeBoer's ability as a wideout while playing at Sioux Falls.
"Yeah, coach is a tank, they couldn't tackle him," Penix Jr. said in a video uploaded on the 'ESPN College Football 'YouTube channel (0:17). "Man, he's running over everybody."
Even former Huskies stars Rome Odunze and Jack Westover were in awe of some of DeBoer's moves on the gridiron.
DeBoer graduated from Milbank High School in South Dakota. He then redshirted his freshman year at Western Washington University in 1992 before transferring to Sioux Falls in 1993.
DeBoer played four seasons with the Cougars under coach Bob Young. During his time at Sioux Falls, DeBoer set school records for receptions (234), receiving yardage (3,400) and touchdown catches (33). He also earned two All-American honors.
Notably, DeBoer also played as a left fielder on Sioux Falls' baseball team. He recorded 10 home runs and 34 RBIs in his senior season of 1997.
Kalen DeBoer also played professional football with the semipro Sioux Falls Falcons for one season in 1999. He joined the Sioux Falls Cobras of the Indoor Football League in 2000 and was also with the team for another year when it rebranded to Sioux Falls Storm and moved to the National Indoor Football League in 2001.
Kalen DeBoer and Michael Penix Jr.'s Washington lost the national title game to Michigan in 2024
Kalen DeBoer coached Michael Penix Jr. and Washington to the national championship game in 2024. However, the Huskies lost 34-13 against Michigan in the final.
At the time, Jim Harbaugh was the coach of the Wolverines. The team had also gone through some controversy during the 2023 season, involving the sign-stealing scandal.
Nonetheless, after the CFP final, DeBoer left Washington to take up the coaching job at Alabama, replacing the legendary Nick Saban. He posted a 9-4 record in his first year with the Tide. It will be interesting to see if DeBoer can lead Alabama to double-digit wins in his second year.
Meanwhile, Penix Jr. declared for the 2024 NFL draft, where the Atlanta Falcons took him with the No. 8 pick. The quarterback mainly served as the backup to Kirk Cousins in his rookie year. However, Penix Jr. is likely to get more game time for the Falcons in the 2025 season.