Kalen DeBoer walked into Tuscaloosa with the pressure of succeeding the most dominant coach of the modern era, and that weight has only grown as the college football landscape shifts again.
Several major programs have entered transition mode, and each move has triggered new conversations about who might be willing to switch sidelines. Sherrone Moore’s sudden firing at Michigan added more fuel, creating another high-profile vacancy that immediately sent rumor cycles spinning.
DeBoer’s name surfaced in the chatter, along with several other established coaches, simply because the market is active and athletic directors are looking everywhere for stability. The noise hasn’t been tied to one job.
Earlier, DeBoer was linked to the Penn State opening when that job became available. The conversation restarted when Michigan fired Sherrone Moore. That vacancy reopened the door for a new set of rumors about DeBoer.
Neither rumor has pointed to any real movement. They reflect the nature of a coaching market that is unpredictable and aggressive. The Alabama fanbase is now rooting for another reset, at any cost, as long as it reinvents the Crimson Tide.
“We need Kalen DeBoer to leave for Michigan and then Lane Kiffin to leave LSU for Alabama before he coaches a game to really take the insanity to the next level,” Outkick founder, Klay Travis, wrote.
We need Kalen DeBoer to leave for Michigan and then Lane Kiffin to leave LSU for Alabama before he coaches a game to really take the insanity to the next level.
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) December 10, 2025
Alabama’s fanbase, still adjusting to life after Nick Saban, has become especially sensitive to these waves. DeBoer remains in the center of it because he inherited a powerhouse in transition.
Alabama has been solid but not untouchable and that’s not the identity that the fanbase is familiar with. For now, the discussion reflects more about the unstable state of the sport than any confirmed plans from DeBoer himself.
Stephen A. Smith Wanted Kalen DeBoer to Be Fired
Back in September, Stephen A. Smith publicly questioned whether DeBoer should be leading Alabama at all. He argued that the program no longer carried the force and respect it had under Saban.
He pointed to early-season struggles and comments from opponents as signs that the aura around Alabama had faded. In his view, the shift in leadership contributed to the drop in intimidation, and he pushed for a coaching change before the season had even taken shape.
“Who would’ve ever thought that somebody would have the audacity, the unmitigated goal to call out Nick Saban,” Smith said (11:09). “They would never. But they did it, why? Because Kalen DeBoer is coaching them…The days of Alabama with Nick Saban are gone.”
He also dismissed any notion that Saban would return. Saban had settled into his media role and seemed in no rush to step back into the grind of head coaching. Smith believed Alabama needed a new voice capable of restoring the program’s stature, and he didn’t think DeBoer was that person.
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