$91 million head coach predicted to leave SEC program for expected Alabama job

Alabama finished the 2025 season 11–4 (7–1 SEC) and earned a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff, beating Oklahoma in the first round before suffering a lopsided loss to Indiana in the Rose Bowl/CFP quarterfinals (38–3).

Despite reaching the postseason under second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer, the year was widely viewed as disappointing by Alabama standards, marked by flashes of dominance but also costly losses and execution issues that left the program short of the national-title expectations established during the Nick Saban era.

DeBoer was hired as Saban’s successor in January 2024 on an eight-year, $87 million contract and currently carries a remaining buyout of approximately $60.8 million, the third-largest in college football.

Even with that level of financial commitment, mixed results in his second season quickly led to public scrutiny and persistent chatter surrounding his long-term job security.

Several analysts have floated the possibility of a change if Alabama underperforms again, though the contract’s guaranteed money and massive buyout would make an early dismissal both complicated and costly for the university.

In The Athletic’s early-season prediction mailbag, college football editor Stewart Mandel floated a chain of events: DeBoer being fired eight games into 2026, Lane Kiffin leaving LSU after nine games to take the Alabama job, and DeBoer ultimately moving to Clemson amid tampering angst.

LSU president Wade Rousse, left, LSU new head coach Lane Kiffin and LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry. — Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU president Wade Rousse, left, LSU new head coach Lane Kiffin and LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry stand together at South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium. | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Kiffin is an experienced, successful offensive coach and head coach (USC, Tennessee, FAU, Ole Miss) who previously served as Alabama’s offensive coordinator from 2014–16 under Saban.

Kiffin left Ole Miss to become LSU’s head coach shortly after leading the Rebels to their first College Football Playoff appearance and the most successful season in program history. Reports at the time indicated Kiffin would not coach Ole Miss in the postseason and would immediately transition to Baton Rouge.

LSU signed Kiffin to a seven-year deal reportedly worth approximately $91 million, a contract that includes an aggressive buyout and guarantee structure; under the terms, LSU would owe roughly 80% of the remaining salary if it were to fire him without cause.

Even with Kiffin freshly signed to a long-term deal at an SEC rival, several factors help explain why Mandel’s proposed scenario has gained traction. Kiffin has direct historical ties to Alabama, a well-documented history of changing jobs, and is widely viewed within the sport as an upgrade candidate for elite programs.

Still, LSU’s contract terms and the optics of abandoning a newly negotiated long-term agreement significantly reduce the likelihood of a quick departure. Combined with DeBoer’s own substantial buyout at Alabama, any potential coaching change would be both financially and politically complex.

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