The Alabama Crimson Tide are currently in the hunt for their 18th National Championship, but there's unique outside noise surrounding the program. In the lead up to the SEC Championship Game, Kalen DeBoer had to address rumors that he was going to take the Penn State job which always seemed like a stretch from the outside looking in.
When Penn State hired Matt Campbell, the anonymous reports and outside speculation died down about Kalen DeBoer "Not being happy at Alabama". Then as Alabama now prepares for a rematch against Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff, Kalen DeBoer is being tied to the Michigan Wolverines job.
Kalen DeBoer would be the obvious top name for Michigan.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) December 10, 2025
Kalen DeBoer rumors have more to do with Alabama than other jobs
The Alabama head coach should tell everyone a lot more about the current state of the Crimson Tide than it should about the attractiveness of the jobs he's being tied to. This is a new trend as for the Alabama head coach to be tied to other jobs, as for the vast majority of Nick Saban's tenure this would never happen.
There are two reasons that Kalen DeBoer is being linked to Penn State and Michigan, and most likely whatever job opens next with his success thus far at Alabama and his fit.
Thus far the Kalen DeBoer era has been filled with highs and lows as he's posted a 19-7 record over his two seasons in Tuscaloosa. Making the College Football Playoff this season was a big step for DeBoer, but his Alabama teams still haven't showed that dominance that Nick Saban's team had. If Alabama was still that dominant force under DeBoer, there would be no chance that another program would feel they could land him.
From the moment Kalen DeBoer was hired at Alabama, everyone wanted to talk about his "fit" in Tuscaloosa. We've seen a similar conversation take place with Brian Kelly being a perfect example of how programs react to hiring an SEC outsider.
When you look at Kalen DeBoer who's a North Dakota native and spent time at Indiana and Washington, it makes a ton of sense that he's being tied to other jobs in the Big Ten. DeBoer had success in the league as an offensive coordinator and with success at a current Big Ten school in Washington, they think it would be easier for DeBoer to succeed in the Big Ten than it is for him at Alabama.
If everything is similar between the two jobs, and DeBoer is having success at Alabama, it isn't even a conversation. A win for Kalen DeBoer in the College Football Playoff will kill all the conversations around him leaving as it'll prove that he has what it takes to win big in Tuscaloosa. If DeBoer however loses to Oklahoma for a 3rd time in his tenure, expect the noise to get the loudest it has been.