Skip to main content
Join Now
Get a profile. Be recruited.

Kalen DeBoer addresses being linked to Michigan job

by: Alex Byington2 hours ago_AlexByington

A week after shooting down rumors connecting him to Penn State‘s since-filled head coach opening, Kalen DeBoer has once again found himself connected to a major Big Ten blueblood. The second-year Alabama head coach addressed rampant speculation linking him to the newly-opened Michigan head coaching job on Sunday via Yea Alabama.

“My family and I are very happy in Tuscaloosa and remain extremely grateful for the support of President (Peter) Mohler, (athletic director) Greg Byrne, the Board (of Regents) and so many others,” DeBoer’s statement read. “We have an incredilbe 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.”

The 51-year-old DeBoer has been the unquestioned leading candidate to fill the Wolverines’ opening created Wednesday after Sherrone Moore was fired for cause following an internal investigation uncovered the second-year coach allegedly engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. On3’s Pete Nakos included DeBoer in his initial Hot Board list of potential coaching candidates, and several other college football pundits have linked DeBoer to Michigan, including ESPN’s Paul Finebaum.

“It feels like the No. 1 candidate is going to be Kalen DeBoer of the University of Alabama,” Finebaum said Thursday morning on SportsCenter. “He has led Alabama to the playoffs in his second year. He was under consideration when he was the head coach at the University of Washington. Remember, Washington played Michigan in Jim Harbaugh’s final game for the national championship.”

DeBoer and No. 9 Alabama (10-3) are preparing to play No. 8 Oklahoma (10-2) in the first round of the 2025 College Football Playoffs at 8 pm ET, Friday, Dec. 19 in Norman. The Crimson Tide controversially backed into this year’s 12-team Playoff field despite a lopsided 28-7 loss to No. 3 Georgia in last Saturday’s SEC Championship Game in Atlanta.

Last week, ahead of the SEC title game, DeBoer dismissed “any interest either way” with the Penn State opening that has since been filled with the Nov. 5 hiring of Iowa State‘s Matt Campbell.

“We’re extremely happy at Alabama, … we’re extremely happy here, love the challenge, love the grind, love this place, and there’s never been any link, there’s never been any conversation, there’s never been any interest either way (with Penn State),” DeBoer said Dec. 4 during the SEC Championship head coach press conference from Atlanta. “So I’m glad we can put that to bed right now.”