College Football HQ

$87 million head coach shuts down interest in other college football jobs

Rowan Fisher Shotton|
Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen Deboer directs his team against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the first quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium.
Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen Deboer directs his team against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the first quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

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Alabama Crimson TidePenn State Nittany Lions

Penn State opened up one of college football's biggest head-coach vacancies after the school fired James Franklin on October 12, just days after the team fell to 3-3, including surprising losses to UCLA and Northwestern.

Franklin’s exit ended a 12-season run in which he posted a 104–45 overall record, but persistent struggles against top-10 opponents and the 2025 collapse prompted the change.

In recent weeks, one prominent SEC coach has repeatedly come up in conversations to potentially take the Penn State job: Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer. 

However, just days ahead of Saturday’s SEC championship, DeBoer abruptly ended any speculation tying him to the vacancy, telling reporters Thursday: "There’s never been any link. There’s never been any conversation. There’s never been any interest either way." 

A former NAIA champion at Sioux Falls, DeBoer built FBS credentials as an offensive coordinator at multiple schools before head-coaching Fresno State (2020-21) and then Washington (2022-23). 

During his time with the Huskies, he won the Pac-12, coached Washington to a 14-1 season and a College Football Playoff title-game appearance, and collected national coach-of-the-year awards. 

Alabama hired DeBoer in January 2024 to replace Nick Saban, signing an eight-year deal that totals over $8.7 million and runs through Dec. 31, 2031.

DeBoer is set to earn $10.25 million in 2025 and will see his compensation increase by $250,000 per year, up to $11.75 million in his final year of the deal.

DeBoer currently carries one of the larger buyouts in college football at $60.8 million.

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer.
Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer watches on during warm ups before Auburn Tigers take on Alabama Crimson Tide at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

DeBoer’s first year in Tuscaloosa ended 9-4 (a ReliaQuest Bowl loss to Michigan), and Alabama entered the SEC title weekend 10-2 in 2025, bringing his Crimson Tide total to 19-6 across two seasons. 

The Tide remains an elite program, but the early phase of the post-Saban era has included bumps that stoked external chatter about DeBoer’s future.

With the conference championship looming, DeBoer’s public denial should put an end to most of the rumor mill.

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Rowan Fisher
ROWAN FISHER SHOTTON

Rowan Fisher-Shotton is a versatile journalist known for sharp analysis, player-driven storytelling, and quick-turn coverage across CFB, CBB, the NBA, WNBA, and NFL. A Wilfrid Laurier alum and lifelong athlete, he’s written for FanSided, Pro Football Network, Athlon Sports, and Newsweek, tackling every beat with both a reporter’s edge and a player’s eye.

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