“Bubba is kind of a dog man,” Saban said. “He is one of those guys that’s a great competitor, makes a lot of plays, whatever he plays on offense, wherever he plays on the field. He doesn’t come off the field very often. They had a very successful season this year. I know they had a disappointment in the playoffs, this guy is a great competitor. He can do a lot of things and we’re really excited about having him.”
Ffrench attends Mandarin High School in Jacksonville, Florida. He garners a five-star rating from multiple recruiting sites and is considered one of the top wide receivers in the 2025 recruiting class. The Florida product is the second wide receiver to de-commit from Alabama since Nick Saban announced his retirement.
He built programs of character at Sioux Falls, Indiana, Fresno State, and Washington. DeBoer mentored young men physically, mentally, emotionally, athletically, and spiritually. He turned Washington’s program around in two years. The Huskies were 4-8 in 2021, but DeBoer compiled a 25-3 record. He made Washington a Pac-12 Champion and advanced into the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. DeBoer did not want to leave the Huskies, but Alabama is the only program he left Washington for.
“I need to thank some people back at Washington,” DeBoer said as he became emotional. “It is a special place to me, it really is. This is one of the few places, maybe the only place, I would have left to come coach at. I understand what Alabama football is all about. Those guys I sat in front of a room with yesterday, I know what they are going through because I saw the same thing less than 24 hours ago. I just want to tell those guys, ‘I love you. I will miss you.’ I want nothing but the best for everyone back there.”
DeBoer cared about his players at Washington. He built those relationships and turned those athletes into better men and players. He wanted the challenge of coming to Alabama and filling in the shoes Coach Saban leaves behind.
Leave a Reply