University of Washington athletic director Troy Dannen is addressing the departure of head football coach Kalen DeBoer to Alabama, and he said that he had a contract extension offer in front of DeBoer 10 days into his tenure, according to @keithpricetrut1. Troy Dannen then went on to said that he had an sense that Kalen DeBoer would be departing when he could not get an extension done, and that he had done his due diligence, which led to the hiring of Jedd Fisch.

“Belive it or not, I had an inkling around Thanksgiving,” Dannen said, according to @keithpricetrut1. “We put a pretty good offer on the table, and when we couldn't get that signed, that gave me some pause.”

Of course, DeBoer is leaving to coach the Alabama football program after Nick Saban retired. DeBoer just led Washington football to a very successful season, winning the Pac-12 and going to the national championship game before losing to Michigan. DeBoer likely believes he could get over the hump and win a national championship with Alabama.

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It appears Dannon was prepared for DeBoer to leave way ahead of time, and hopefully the due diligence pays off and Jedd Fisch can help Washington stay towards the top next year and beyond as the Huskies transition to the Big Ten.

It will be interesting to see how DeBoer fares at Alabama. He is filling big shoes with Nick Saban retiring. Fisch is looking to build on what he did at Arizona and reach new heights at Washington in the Big Ten.