Flanked by the Husky band, boosters, and members of the media, Jen Cohen introduced the new head football coach today at Washington.

Kalen DeBoer was a welcome sight after a very difficult year for Husky Football.

Cohen spoke first; thanking several people, but also thanking Chris Petersen for his “guidance and counsel everyday”, she said, adding further gratitude to the “athletes and students for their feedback throughout the process.”

Cohen said a guiding priority in the hiring process was to “instill and inspire a championship culture” at Washington, and that “(DeBoer) is a winner in every way. Everywhere he’s been those programs have gotten better.”

She concluded by saying that she wanted the new coach to be a man with “high integrity”, and who’s “going to do things the right way — the Husky way.”

DeBoer then took to the mic and said he “can’t wait to get started”.

One man he mentioned who had mentored him over the years was Jeff Tedford, calling him a “huge, huge mentor in my life.”

Why Washington?

DeBoer spoke about the community, itself, and how important this is for his family. But went on to talk about Husky Football.

“Strong history and tradition…national championships…something I’d like to be a part of — being the best.”

And also the football alumni, “I want this to always be home for you. You should always be welcome here.”

He said he feels a “great alignment of beliefs as far as the values that you have, (family, work ethic), I see that here. A gritty, hardnosed environment. And to do it all with a first-class manner.”

DeBoer called the resources for players at Washington are “amazing”.

But the one topic that came up often was that of the “culture” at Washington. DeBoer said “laying down the culture” is a first step. He  spoke of “non-negotiables”, such as “family, being accountable to each other, a tough-nosed mindset.”

As for what we can expect to see on the field, DeBoer said “Attacking and explosive”, adding that this will be true on both sides of the ball, but particularly for the offense to be able to adjust.

“We’ll always be quarterback-driven, but we’ll be very diverse — both offensively and defensively. It may be simple to us, but will look complex to our opponent.”

As for filling out his staff, DeBoer said he wants a staff “that can recruit…we’ve got to bring the best players to this program.”

He does plan on calling recruits “starting today”, he said, adding that, not this weekend, but next weekend he expects his new staff to hit the ground running with recruiting road trips.

Finally, DeBoer said he is just getting to know Chris Petersen, but he’s been working with assistants at Fresno State who had Boise State connections, “I’d be foolish to not be picking his brain”, he said of Petersen.

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