Could Kalen DeBoer leave the Alabama Crimson Tide?
When Kalen DeBoer followed Nick Saban as head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, there was skepticism. Then, DeBoer went 9-4 while failing to land in the College Football Playoff in his debut campaign and was routed by Florida State in the 2025 season opener.
At that point, DeBoer's seat was on fire. At least among fans in Tuscaloosa.
But Alabama has rebounded to go 9-3 with some tremendous wins on its resume this year and will face Oklahoma in the first round of the CFP on Friday night.
However, in spite of DeBoer's success in Year 2 with the Crimson Tide, there is still rampant speculation that he could ultimately leave the program.
More recently, DeBoer has been tabbed as a potential candidate for the Michigan job, even though he instantly shut down the conjecture.
But that hasn't stopped ESPN's Pete Thamel to strongly consider the Wolverines, who he claims are a much better fit for DeBoer than Alabama.
“Like he’s not a guy who wants attention," Thamel said on ESPN's College Gameday podcast. "He’s kind of the Midwest, right? He’s not of these like SEC super preacher coaches, who’s always on from a pure fit of region program, you know, vibe dynamic. I would think in a vacuum, as Rece [Davis] said, and it was a really good way to say it, it’s a better fit at Michigan."
Thamel is claiming that the pressure to win in Ann Arbor is not quite the same as 'Bama, and to be perfectly honest, I disagree.
While Alabama is the gold standard for college football programs, Michigan is not far behind. No, the Wolverines have not had the same type of success as the Tide, but the fan base is huge, and the job comes with a significant burden.
Just ask Jim Harbaugh, who took his fair share of lumps at Michigan before finally leading the team to a national championship during the 2023-24 campaign.
There is something to be said for the fact that DeBoer didn't stay longer than two years at either of his previous head-coaching stops (Fresno State and Washington), but coaching Alabama is an entirely different ballgame.
DeBoer seems to be getting comfortable in Tuscaloosa, so the chances of him bolting for any other job at this point seem slim to none.