Why Tennessee LBs coach William Inge chose Vols over Alabama under Kalen DeBoer

New Tennessee linebackers coach William Inge could’ve followed Kalen DeBoer from Washington to Alabama.

He could’ve worn a crimson shirt and praised Nick Saban at a podium in Tuscaloosa. And he could’ve talked about bringing his defensive philosophy to Alabama from the national title game, where Washington lost to Michigan in January.

Instead, Inge donned an orange track suit on Monday and finished his introductory press conference with: “Go Vols! Is that what I say – Go Vols?”

This was an unexpected detour for Inge, who had coached with DeBoer for the past five seasons at three different schools – Indiana, Fresno State and Washington.

And he was reportedly headed to Alabama with DeBoer until Tennessee entered the picture at the last moment and snagged him away.

“Literally, all this happened in probably 48 hours,” Inge said.

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Inge, 50, gives Tennessee a veteran replacement for linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary, who left for Michigan.

Inge is coming off two phenomenal seasons at Washington, which posted a 25-2 record with a Pac-12 title an appearance in the College Football Playoff national title game. He signed a two-year contract with Tennessee, which pays him $720,000 annually plus bonuses and other perks.

Vols or Tide? Here's what made Inge's decision

So why did Inge choose Tennessee over Alabama? He said he saw little difference in the programs, and he wanted a new challenge.

“It was very tough because you have a very good comfort level with a staff, with people, with how you do things,” Inge said. “But then when you have another branded program that’s exactly the same – that may be just as established as the program that you’re dealing with – that comes into play.

“That’s something you want to look at, something you want to seek. And having a chance to be able to do something different (was important).”

DeBoer had two very good options.

Alabama is a perennial national championship contender, but it must redirect after Saban’s retirement. Tennessee has experienced a resurgence under coach Josh Heupel, but it’s still chasing a national title shot.

Inge said he evaluated multiple criteria before choosing between them.

“No. 1, you want to look at the stability of the program and see who has gone and come from the program,” Inge said. “You want to look at the history and tradition of the program. You also want to look at how that program will be able to help you grow professionally.

“And probably for me, that was one of the most important things.”

What Inge thought of Josh Heupel, Tim Banks

Four Washington assistants initially followed DeBoer to Alabama. Inge would’ve been the fifth.

But now only two remain – Washington wide receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard and tight ends coach Nick Sheridan, who is now offensive coordinator/quarterbacks at Alabama.

Offensive line coach Scott Huff and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb were hired by Alabama, but they changed their mind and took jobs with the Seattle Seahawks.

Curiously, Inge cited his respect for Heupel and defensive coordinator Tim Banks in deciding to come to Tennessee. He has never worked with either coach before.

“Coach Banks and I go back to when he was at Penn State and I was at Indiana. We have known each other over the years and passing each other on the road recruiting,” Inge said. “... But I’m a fan of Coach Heupel, as well, and seeing the things that he’s done and looking at his background and his record.

“We got to talking, and I knew that I could have a big impact here. That was important to me.”

How Inge already knew Keenan Pili

Inge has only been on campus about a week and held a few position meetings with his linebackers. He’ll work with them on the field when spring practice begins on March 18.

Inge hopes to get leadership from Keenan Pili, who he recruited as a BYU transfer a year ago at Washington.

Pili suffered a season-ending injury in the 2023 opener. But he will return for his seventh year in college football, and he’ll be 26 years old when the 2024 season kicks off.

“He brings another level of maturity,” Inge said. “For me, that really puts me in a scenario where I can command leadership from him.”

Meanwhile, Elijah Herring led the team with 80 tackles as a sophomore last season. Arion Carter and Jeremiah Telander were in the rotation as freshmen. Kalib Perry and Jalen Smith also return as contributors.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why Tennessee LBs coach William Inge chose Vols over Alabama under Kalen DeBoer