If you take Kalen DeBoer at his word, he has no interest in leaving Alabama.
As speculation runs wild about Michigan’s potential interest in DeBoer, the Crimson Tide head coach issued a written statement Sunday declaring he and his family “very happy in Tuscaloosa” and “grateful for the support.”
“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,” the statement, issued through Alabama’s NIL collective, Yea Alabama, read.
Alabama secured the No. 9 seed in the CFP with a 10-3 season and berth in the SEC championship game, drawing Oklahoma in Friday night’s first-round game in Norman (8 p.m., ABC/ESPN).
But losses to Florida State, Oklahoma and Georgia had the Tide on the bubble when it came selection time, following a 9-4 season that kept Alabama out of the CFP in 2024.
And that’s the sticking point in Tuscaloosa. Prior to DeBoer’s arrival, Nick Saban had taken Alabama to four straight playoffs and nine national title games dating back to 2009.
Meanwhile, Michigan is suddenly looking for a head coach after a chaotic week in Ann Arbor that saw Sherrone Moore abruptly fired Wednesday after two seasons. Moore, 39, was accused of violating school policy after engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a female staffer.
He was then arrested later that day following an incident at the staffer’s residence, jailed and charged with third-degree home invasion, stalking and entering the home.
Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham is believed to be a target, with Dillingham even addressing the Michigan talk Saturday in Tempe, as is DeBoer, a former assistant at nearby Eastern Michigan from 2014 to ‘16 and offensive coordinator at Indiana.
“I have not spoken and have no interest in speaking with anyone else about any other job,” DeBoer said in the statement. “I am fully committed to this program and look forward to continuing as the head football coach at the University of Alabama.”
DeBoer worked directly with quarterback Michael Penix at Indiana and Washington, where the duo led the Huskies to the national title game in 2023 against Michigan. He would take the Alabama job following Nick Saban’s retirement in 2024, while Michigan replaced the departed Jim Harbaugh with Moore, an up-and-coming assistant with Harbaugh’s endorsement.
Michigan’s coaching search coincides with an active investigation into the athletic department and its culture, with Moore’s actions just the latest in a long list of public relations blunders for director Warde Manuel.
DeBoer is in the second year of his eight-year, $87 million contract he inked with Alabama in 2024, averaging more than $10 million per year. His buyout is only $4 million, making it relatively affordable for another school to pluck him away.
In a coinciding statement, Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne said the school is “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, on and off the field.”
Byrne added: “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.
