Nick Saban says Kalen DeBoer has ‘total and complete support’ at Alabama amid Michigan speculation
By David Wasson
Published:
Speculation continued to surround the future of Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer in the prelude to Friday’s College Football Playoff first-round matchup between DeBoer’s Crimson Tide and the Oklahoma Sooners (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN), with ESPN’s Pete Thamel reporting that Michigan is in pursuit of DeBoer despite his reiterated desire to stay in Tuscaloosa.
Former Tide coach Nick Saban chimed in on the set of College GameDay shortly after Thamel’s segment, saying that no one at Alabama wants DeBoer to depart for the Wolverines.
“Kalen DeBoer has the total and complete support of the University of Alabama,” Saban said. “They want him to be the coach at Alabama. Maybe they can get him to Michigan. I don’t know.”
DeBoer, 54, is 19-7 in 2 seasons at Alabama – including a 10-3 record in 2025. His overall coaching record in 11 seasons at Sioux Falls, Fresno State, Washington and Alabama is 123-19.
Michigan fired coach Sherrone Moore for cause Dec. 10 amid a scandal involving a subordinate that also caused Moore to be arrested. The Wolverines are 2 seasons removed from winning the College Football Playoff national title – a perfect 15-0 season that included an overtime victory against Alabama in the CFP semifinals that proved to be Saban’s final game on the Alabama sideline and a title-game win against DeBoer’s Washington team.
Saban still holds a position as advisor and analyst in the Alabama athletic department, in addition to his job on ESPN’s College GameDay.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
