Alabama Director of Athletics Greg Byrne wanted an assist from Nick Saban in the search to replace the newly retired legendary coach, and he most definitely got it.

"He was awesome," Byrne said Saturday when asked about Saban's level of involvement in a search that formally lasted only 49 hours, ending with Washington's Kalen DeBoer as Alabama football coach. "We talked several times during it, and it would've been irresponsible on my part if I didn't utilize coach Saban in the search process."

But while Saban clearly wanted to assist Byrne in making the best possible choice, that doesn't mean he was insistent on steering Alabama's AD toward someone he'd coached with in the past. Saban and DeBoer, in fact, had never met, as DeBoer's coaching journey took him through plenty of stops where Saban's never been: from Sioux Falls (S.D.) to Fresno State and finally to Washington, where he went 25-3 over two seasons. In a search that began and ended in only two days, DeBoer and Saban didn't speak for the first time until hours before hire was made.

"He and coach DeBoer talked (Friday) morning for the first time, and they had a really good talk," Byrne said.

DeBoer accepted the job offer later Friday and was on a plane to Tuscaloosa shortly thereafter. Saban and his wife, Terry, sat on the front row for DeBoer's introductory news conference Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Byrne said he wasn't surprised by Saban's inclination to assist in finding his successor.

"I assumed he would be involved, because I wanted him involved," Byrne added.

Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23. Reach him at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter @chasegoodbread.

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This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Nick Saban's involvement in Alabama football search? 'He was awesome'