The Nick Saban era is over in Tuscaloosa. Kalen DeBoer is on the way to Tuscaloosa, taking over for the recently retired Saban as Alabama football’s head coach.

On Friday, while DeBoer was in an airplane en route for Alabama, Saban released a statement through UA, throwing his full support behind his replacement.

‘I want nothing more than to see Alabama football continue to be successful and coach DeBoer is an outstanding choice to lead this program,” Saban said in the statement, posted on Alabama football’s social media. “He has a proven track record of success and is one of the brightest football minds.”

DeBoer was previously the head coach at Washington. He took the Huskies from a program in disrepair to near the top of the college football food pyramid.

Washington ran through the regular season undefeated and won the Pac-12 championship over Oregon. It then beat Texas in the College Football Playoff’s Sugar Bowl semifinal before falling to Michigan in the national title game.

“Coach DeBoer has an excellent understanding of what it takes to be a successful head coach,” Saban’s statement continued. “Whether it’s coaching, recruiting, developing players or building a culture, he has done a fantastic job at every stop of his coaching career, and I am excited ot see what he will be able to accomplish in Tuscaloosa. Terry and I will be here to support coach DeBoer and his family with anything they need.”

The first game of DeBoer’s career at Alabama is scheduled for Aug. 31 at Bryant-Denny Stadium against Western Kentucky.