Jeff Brohm, Kalen DeBoer Ink Huge Contract Extensions Months After Being Prominent Names in Coaching Carousel

Brohm and DeBoer are tied to Louisville and Alabama, respectively, through the 2033 season.

Louisville's Jeff Brohm's new contract runs through the 2033 season. | Scott Utterback/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer and Louisville’s Jeff Brohm each officially inked contract extensions with their respective schools months after being involved prominently in the coaching carousel.

DeBoer was a key name to know in the Michigan search after the program moved on from Sherrone Moore amid an extramarital affair with a staffer. Moore was later arrested and eventually pleaded no contest to a pair of misdemeanors stemming from an incident at the staffer’s residence shortly after being fired by Michigan.

The pursuit of DeBoer came as Alabama was preparing to play in the College Football Playoff. Ultimately, DeBoer chose to stay with the Crimson Tide and the Wolverines hired former Utah coach Kyle Whittingham to replace Moore.

In a long-winding Penn State search to replace James Franklin, that ultimately ended with the school hiring Matt Campbell, Brohm’s name emerged as one potential candidate. Brohm pulled his name out of the search to stay with the Cardinals, his alma mater. DeBoer was also considered in the Penn State search, though not as prominently as with Michigan and he quickly denied any link to the Nittany Lions job.

Details of DeBoer’s new contract at Alabama

Months after being attached to the job at Michigan, and after two up-and-down seasons to begin his time at Alabama, coach Kalen DeBoer has signed a lucrative extension with the Crimson Tide. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

DeBoer, who just finished his second season with the Crimson Tide, signed a new seven-year contract with the school, the university announced Wednesday.

The new deal with Alabama will pay DeBoer $12.5 million per season and will run through Jan. 31, 2033. It tacked on two seasons to an existing contract with the program that was set to run through the 2031 season.

DeBoer’s contract includes a $10 million buyout through Jan. 31, 2027 and then decreases by $2 million in each of the next two seasons.

“We are excited about the opportunity to continue our time in Tuscaloosa with this contract extension,” DeBoer said as part of the university’s announcement. “This university has become a special place to us, and I look forward to working to ensure that Alabama football remains at the forefront of college football. This program has a long history of success and an unmatched tradition that I was eager to be a part of two years ago, and I cannot wait to keep coaching our guys and bring more championships to Alabama.”

DeBoer had the unenviable task of replacing arguably the greatest coach in college football history in Nick Saban, and has gone 20–8 in his two seasons leading the Crimson Tide. Alabama missed the College Football Playoff in the first season of DeBoer’s tenure, but returned to the sport’s postseason tournament last season. After beating Oklahoma in the first round of the CFP, the Crimson Tide were run off the field by eventual national champion Indiana, in a contest that was shockingly uncompetitive at the Rose Bowl. Alabama fans in particular were not accustomed to watching their program get bullied up front in the way that the team was in the CFP quarterfinal, and the 2026 season was setting up to be a pivotal one for DeBoer as a result. 

His name coming up in the coaching carousel didn’t help his perception in the fan base, but his new extension provides security for DeBoer with the school, with a massive buyout in tow in the near-term.

Details of Brohm’s new contract at Louisville

Jeff Brohm is staying at his alma mater Louisville after being connected to job openings in the offseason. | Scott Utterback/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Brohm’s new contract with Louisville, like DeBoer’s with Alabama, also runs through the 2033 season, with his base pay rising $900k next season, from $5.3 million to $6.2 million. Each year, Brohm’s base salary will rise $100k throughout the life of the contract. He could make as much as $8.7 million in 2032 with retention bonuses.

Brohm will also have the opportunity to earn additional bonuses for CFP appearances, with $500k for making the field up to $2 million for winning a national championship.

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Brohm’s buyout to leave Louisville increases from $1 million to $3 million through the ‘27 season, and then drops back to $1 million thereafter through the remainder of the contract. If Louisville fires Brohm, the school’s buyout drops from 100% of the remaining term to 90% through the ‘28 season, then increases back to 100% thereafter.

Brohm is heading into his fourth season with the Cardinals, where he has gone 28–12. He has not won fewer than nine games in any of his first three seasons.

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