Kalen DeBoer Plummets in ESPN's College Football Coach Rankings

Kalen DeBoer fell a handful of spots in rankings of the top 10 college football coaches by a panel of ESPN reporters.

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, Ala. on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Kalen DeBoer enters 2026 as one of the most proven winners across the sport. At the same time, 2026 is a critical season for the future of his tenure at Alabama.

DeBoer has won at every stop in his head coaching career

Following a five-year stint as an offensive coordinator, DeBoer took over as the head coach at then-NAIA Sioux Falls, his alma mater, in 2005. DeBoer won no fewer than 11 games in each of his five seasons as the Cougars' head coach, and Sioux Falls won NAIA Championships in 2006, 2008 and 2009.

After a decade of work as an offensive coordinator in Division I football, DeBoer took his first head coaching job at Fresno State in 2020. His stint with the Bulldogs only lasted two seasons, but his nine-win season in 2021 catapulted him into his first head coaching job in the power conferences at Washington.

In two seasons with the Huskies, DeBoer posted a 25-3 overall record. Washington won the Pac-12 in 2023 to reach the College Football Playoff and defeated Texas in the Sugar Bowl in order to reach the national championship.

In two seasons at Alabama, DeBoer is a combined 20-8 overall, progressing from nine wins in 2024 to 11 wins in 2025.

Why is DeBoer under pressure in 2026?

Oct 26, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer walks along the field during warmups before a game against the Missouri Tigers at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Taking over as "the guy after the guy" is never an easy task in the coaching profession. Nick Saban created an unattainable standard for whoever followed in his footsteps, and DeBoer is working his hardest to meet the expectations of a spoiled fan base.

The Crimson Tide progressed to a College Football Playoff in 2025, but it fielded a very flawed offense. Alabama was abnormally bad at running the football and out of sync on the offensive line, two areas SEC teams cannot afford to be poor in.

Four of DeBoer's eight losses are against teams that finished with seven or fewer regular-season wins: Vanderbilt, Oklahoma and Michigan in 2024 and Florida State in 2025. Additionally, the Crimson Tide was not competitive in either of its postseason losses in 2025.

Heather Dinich defends DeBoer as a top-six coach in college football

ESPN polled its college football reporters on the 10 best college football coaches entering the 2026 season on Thursday. DeBoer slid down to No. 10 in their rankings, dropping three spots from his No. 7 ranking in 2025.

However, not all of ESPN's reporters believe DeBoer is deserving of a spot on the fringes of their rankings. Heather Dinich defended DeBoer, ranking him as the No. 6 coach entering the 2026 season.

"DeBoer enters the season with 20 wins against Top 25 teams since 2021, the second most among active head coaches," Dinich said. "Bama fans don't have patience, but that's what it's going to take, along with an understanding that the days of Nick Saban-esque dynasties are probably over."

Who jumped ahead of DeBoer in ESPN's rankings?

Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti watches his team get loose before the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

In the SEC, Lane Kiffin and Mike Elko jumped ahead of DeBoer into the No. 7 and 8 spots in the rankings.

Kiffin consistently won 10 or more games in his six years at Ole Miss, but he never had the expectations there that he will at LSU. The last time Kiffin coached at a place with similar expectations to that of LSU, he was fired in an airport terminal five weeks into the season.

Unlike his two predecessors at Texas A&M, Elko's team actually improved from his first to his second season on the job. However, the Aggies will face a far more challenging schedule in 2026 than they did in 2025.

In the Big Ten, Curt Cignetti and Kyle Whittingham both jumped ahead of DeBoer in ESPN's rankings. Cignetti went from unranked in 2025 to No. 1 in the 2026 rankings, but winning a national championship at a program known for losing will do that.

Consistency was key for Whittingham's No. 9 ranking. He was 177-88 overall in 22 seasons at Utah and should restore order to a Michigan program that has seen plenty of turnover since its latest national championship victory.