Nick Saban has released a statement following the hiring of new Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer.

Saban decided to retire earlier this week, bringing his legendary career to an end. Saban spent 17 seasons in Tuscaloosa and won 6 national championships while with the Crimson Tide.

He’ll now be succeeded by DeBoer, who went 25-3 over the past 2 seasons as Washington’s head coach. He led the Huskies to the national championship game this past season as well.

Here’s the statement from Saban on DeBoer’s arrival:

“I want nothing more than to see Alabama football continue to be successful, and coach DeBoer is an outstanding choice to lead this program. He has a proven track record of success and is one of the brightest football minds. Coach DeBoer has an excellent understanding of what it takes to be a successful head coach, whether it’s coaching, recruiting, developing players or building a culture. He has done a fantastic job at every stop of his coaching career, and I am excited to see what he will be able to accomplish in Tuscaloosa. Terry and I will be here to support coach DeBoer and his family with anything they need.”

DeBoer and Saban have crossed paths once before on the gridiron. In 2017, DeBoer was Fresno State’s offensive coordinator when the Bulldogs traveled to Tuscaloosa to take on the Crimson Tide. Alabama won that game 41-10.

Since that meeting in 2017 — which was DeBoer’s 2nd game calling plays for Fresno — DeBoer has been the head coach at both Fresno State and Washington. He was also Indiana’s offensive coordinator for 1 year in 2019.

DeBoer is expected to be formally introduced in a press conference on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. CT.