Kalen DeBoer met with reporters at his introductory press conference on Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa.

As part of his opening statement, DeBoer shared some of his reasoning for leaving Washington to accept the head job at Alabama. Tradition, ability to win championships and facilities were all mentioned as key factors.

“People have already asked, ‘why would you go to Alabama? Why?'” DeBoer said. “Well, I think there’s a lot of really obvious answers and I have touched on that. When it comes to tradition and the history of the program, it’s second to none. When I look at places that I want to be, it’s about winning championships. And that’s an expectation that I can not wait, and accept as a privilege, to try to uphold. Winning SEC Championships, winning national championships. That’s the expectation and a love and an interest that I’ve always had.

“The resources, the facilities, everything that can be here to support our players, our staff. That’s my role as a head coach, to provide that atmosphere, that environment. And when you have resources like we have here at Alabama, it makes my job easier. I’m looking forward to utilizing and showing off these resources to those that want to be wearing the Crimson.”

DeBoer left Washington after two seasons as the Huskies’ head coach. He went 25-3 over that span, which included a Pac-12 Championship and a trip to the national championship game.

He’ll now take over for Nick Saban, who won 6 national championships and 9 SEC titles over the past 17 seasons.