Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer is preparing the No. 9 Crimson Tide for the most important game in his tenure this week. The Crimson Tide squeaked into the College Football Playoff despite finishing with a 10-3 record, and will travel to Norman to face the No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners.
DeBoer has also been the most prominent name for the Michigan job after the Wolverines sacked coach Sherrone Moore with cause on Wednesday.
Kalen DeBoer Shuts Down Michigan Job Speculation
During the peak of the coaching carousel madness that had gripped college football in the past few months, DeBoer was also repeatedly linked to the Penn State Nittany Lions job before they hired Matt Campbell last week.
On Sunday, DeBoer released a definitive statement distancing himself from the Michigan job.
“My family and I are very happy in Tuscaloosa and remain extremely grateful for the support of President Mohler, Greg Byrne, the board, and so many others,” DeBoer’s statement read.
— Yea Alabama (@yea_ala) December 14, 2025
“We have an incredible opportunity in front of us, so my sole focus is on Alabama football and our preparations to play Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff.
“I have not spoken and have no interest in speaking with anyone else about any other job. I am fully committed to this program and look forward to continuing as the head football coach at the University of Alabama.”
DeBoer signed an eight-year contract worth $87 million through 2031 when he left the Washington Huskies to take the Crimson Tide job last year.
DeBoer Receives Alabama A.D.’s Backing
Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne aggressively courted DeBoer for the Crimson Tide job in January last year, when Nick Saban retired. Despite missing out on the College Football Playoff last season, Byrne continued to back DeBoer. After the coach’s statement release on Sunday, the athletic director threw his support behind him once again.
“We are proud to have Coach DeBoer leading our football program at The University of Alabama. He is an incredible coach and does an excellent job with the development of our student-athletes, both on and off the field,” Byrne tweeted.
“Just as he is committed to this team, we are committed to him, and we look forward to taking the field Friday in the first round of the College Football Playoff. #RollTide.”
DeBoer has polarized opinion among both fans and analysts as he has flirted with brilliance, becoming the first coach in SEC history to win four consecutive games against ranked sides. DeBoer also lost to a struggling Florida State Seminoles in Bama’s season opener, while losing two games against the Sooners during his tenure.
According to PFSN’s College Football Playoff Meter, despite being largely written off in some quarters, DeBoer’s Crimson Tide has a slim 9.87% chance of reaching this season’s national championship game on Jan. 20.
