Golic & Smetty talk conference realignment with Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer

University of Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer joined Mike Golic Sr. and Jessica Smetana on the latest episode of Golic & Smetty and of course the topic of conference realignment and Washington’s departure to the Big Ten.

DeBoer said it’s certainly been a crazy period for his program, but the thing is that it’s not something you can control as a football coach. So he’s been able to keep his focus on the team and his staff and what they’re doing day-to-day as they start camp. He said there really haven’t been a lot of questions, even from the players. He said they’re focused on the 2023 season. But he added that he knows the UW administration has been working hard to make sure the university is in a good spot moving forward.

Jessica asked how quickly DeBoer has had to change his recruiting pitch to potential players and even his own players about what to expect moving forward. DeBoer admitted that recruiting is hard and complex, but a lot of players and families they were talking to, especially the Class of 2024 which is nearing a decision deadline, were asking about what conference Washington would be in. He said he would talk them through what he knew while at the same time pointing out that Washington is in “a great place academically, athletically” and “there’s a lot of great things going for us,” including being in a place where people will want their traditions and history across all sports to be a part of their conference. He did say the move has opened up some new doors with some prospects since the announcement.

Mike wanted to know about this process, especially considering it’s not the coaches or even ADs who make this type of monumental decision.

Mike also asked DeBoer how he was going about keeping his players focused on impressing upon them that it was something really none of them could control. DeBoer said he thinks his players trust his staff because they are open with them on a lot of things and that they told the players that when they had news that matters they would share it with them. DeBoer does think that a lot of the news was positive in their direction, with the program being relevant in a lot of different conversations and that they felt comfortable that the program would end up in a good, favorable spot when all was said and done. So, he said he thought their minds were at ease and not worried about having a home for the program.

Jessica closed the conference realignment talk with a question about travel and how that could affect the student-athletes. DeBoer said he thinks every sport is different and given the amount of travel, games and trips you have to make from a football standpoint, he thinks his team will be fine. He said he doesn’t know anything about the future schedule and what it will look like, but he said you’d have to think that there will be the West Coast games and then the rest of the conference schedule will be split up home and away. He also made the point that football doesn’t play as many games or make as many trips, so he thinks there is a plan and it doesn’t mean it’s perfect but he does think that there are other resources that become available because of the move to the Big Ten.

SHOW BREAKDOWN

Washington Huskies Coach Kalen DeBoer talks Pac-12 realignment & 2023 expectations

• University of Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer joins the show on the heels of the Big Ten’s announcement that Washington and Oregon will also join the conference in 2024 as college sports realignment heats up once again. What does it mean for Washington Football as they start their final season in the Pac-12? After finishing in the Top 10 last season in Coach DeBoer’s first season in Washington, what are their expectations as they have a lot of returning starters? Plus, Mike and Jess recap Team USA’s World Cup heartbreak. What happened on the field and were they influenced from issues off the field? Changes are coming as they gear up for the Olympics in 2024. Golic & Smetty wrap with a Hard Knocks and NFL Preseason discussion answering the question, how much Jets is too much Jets?

VIDEO

Be sure to check out every episode of Golic & Smetty on the DraftKings YouTube page and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Mike on Twitter at @golic and Jessica at @jessica_smetana.

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