Comet standout Kyle Staudt played for new Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer at Sioux Falls

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — Alabama’s newly minted football head coach Kalen DeBoer has reached the pinnacle of his profession.

Former Charles City Comet standout Kyle Staudt was there at the beginning and helped provide the base for the ascension.

“I’m excited for him,” Staudt said of DeBoer, whom he played for as a standout offensive lineman at the University of Sioux Falls. “I feel honored to be a part of that journey.”

After DeBoer led the University of Washington to the College Football National Championship Game (USF lost to Michigan) in his second season at the Huskies’ helm, DeBoer was chosen to replace legendary Nick Sabin as the HC for the Crimson Wave.

“I can’t say I was super shocked when it happened,” Staudt said. “They (DeBoer and Sabin) have the same agent, so I think this might have been in the works for a while.

“When (DeBoer) didn’t agree to a contract extension, the writing was on the wall. The opportunity was there. It couldn’t have happened to a better guy and coach.”

After graduating from Charles City, Staudt was a Junior College All-American at North Iowa Area Community College before transferring to USF, where he was captain for the Cougars when they won back-to-back NAIA National Championships in 2008 and 2009 while earning All-American honors his senior year.

DeBoer, who was a school record-setting wide-receiver during his playing days at USF, had become the Cougars’ HC in 2005 after a five-year stint as the team’s offensive coordinator. The Cougars won their first NAIA title under DeBoer in 2006 before losing to Carroll (Montana) in the 2007 NAIA championship game.

Staudt was there for the final two championship seasons of DeBoer’s tenure at USF, where DeBoer compiled a 67-3 record.

“Sioux Falls was his first head coaching job,” Staudt said of DeBoer, who later coached at Fresno State (2020-2021) before coming to Washington in 2022. “He was young when he coached me [DeBoer is now 49; was in his early 30s when he coached Staudt], but he didn’t act that way.

“He was very confident in himself and you could tell right off the bat he knew what he was doing.”

DeBoer comes to Tuscaloosa with a career HC record of 104-12 as he attained his 100th coaching win this past season which also yielded numerous accolades for DeBoer — Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, Home Depot Coach of the Year, Sporting News College Football Coach of the Year, Walter Camp Coach of the Year, and Associated Press Coach of the Year.

Staudt remembers the first time he conversed one-on-one with DeBoer in the midst of making his transition to Sioux Falls. The talk didn’t center around X’s and O’s … or at least not at first.

“He wanted to know who I was as a person,” Staudt said. “He wanted to know what I enjoyed most in life … how my family was doing. It was after a while that we started talking about the ‘X’s and O’s’ “

While at USF, Staudt primarily interacted with assistant coach Ryan Grubb, who became DeBoer’s offensive coordinator at Washington and will serve as DeBoer’s OC at Alabama.

“The thing that I’m most proud of was Washington getting the ‘Joe Moore Award’ this past football season,” Staudt said. “It’s one of the most prestigious awards in college football, and it goes to the nation’s best offensive line.

“It’s nice to see that my old O-line coach had his lineman get that award. I’m fortunate to have gotten to play for someone like him.”

Staudt returned to the Comets football team in 2021 where he serves as an assistant coach. Though Orange and Black will always remain his colors, Staudt is expanding his wardrobe to include shades of Crimson.

“Yes, I’m an Alabama fan now,” Staudt said. “I was a Washington fan the last couple of years.

“I still keep in touch with (DeBoer and Grubb). I could text them and they usually hit me back within an hour.

“They know where they came from and they never forget it. That’s why I’m so happy for them.”