Imago
December 30, 2025, Los Angeles, California, USA: Head coach, Kalen DeBoer of the Alabama Crimson Tide is interviewed during the Media Day on Tuesday December 30, 2025 at the Sheraton Hotel in Los Angeles, California. The Indiana Hoosiers will play the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2026. JAVIER ROJAS/PI Los Angeles USA - ZUMAp124 20251230_zaa_p124_010 Copyright: xJavierxRojasx
Apr 2, 2026, 3:15 PM CUT
I’m Not Naive: Kalen DeBoer Confirms Michigan Football’s Interest After Sherrone Moore's Firing
After taking Washington to the National Championship game in 2023, Kalen DeBoer is still a sought-after man in college football.
Even after winning the 2023 National Championship, the Michigan Wolverines have been in a mess lately. After Jim Harbaugh left for the NFL, the then-offensive coordinator, Sherrone Moore, was handed the reins at Ann Arbor.
After only one season, Sherrone Moore was dismissed as head coach for reasons not related to football.
DeBoer replaced arguably the greatest football coach of all time, Nick Saban, at Tuscaloosa, Alabama, taking one of College football’s most coveted jobs leading the Crimson Tide.
Apparently, Michigan wanted DeBoer and was ready to open the checkbook. “I would have had to be living under a rock (not to know). I’m not naive,” DeBoer said.
Imago
January 01, 2026 Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen Deboer in action during the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Mandatory Photo Credit : /CSM Pasadena United States of America - ZUMAc04_ 20260101_zma_c04_190 Copyright: xCharlesxBausx
However, Kalen DeBoer was firm in his stance and his pledge to the University of Alabama.
“I never talked to anyone, not one time,” he said firmly. “I just don’t know how you could live with yourself and look into your players’ eyes if you’re looking at other opportunities in the midst of the season and getting ready for a playoff game and hopefully making a run at a national championship."
DeBoer has been at Alabama for two seasons. In the 2024 season, Alabama finished with a 9-4 record. His nine wins that season tied for the most by a first-year head coach in Alabama history, matching the legendary Frank Thomas (1931).
In the 2025 season, Alabama went 11-4 while earning a spot in the SEC Championship Game and eventually a berth in the College Football Playoff in 2025.
DeBoer is here to stay with the Crimson Tide. “So it was a pretty easy decision not to engage with them. I didn’t come here to follow Coach Saban only to turn around after two years and go somewhere else,” he said.
So while DeBoer is happy being Alabama's head coach, Whittingham will handle the responsibilities of the Michigan side.
Why did Michigan hire Kyle Whittingham?
After firing Sherrone Moore, the Michigan program needed a complete reset. The two options were Kalen DeBoer and Kyle Whittingham.
Clearly, getting the current Alabama HC was a steep mountain climb. On the other side, Kyle Whittingham has run a successful program at Utah for 20 years.
Though Whittingham, who has signed a five-year deal with the Wolverines, will be more of a placeholder or a stopgap option. The head coach, in his late 60s, had already contemplated retirement recently.
Whittingham stepped down after the 2025 season after going 10-2 and told reporters that he was “in the transfer portal.” Now, he has a chance of turning the tide at Ann Arbor and seeing out his coaching career in a premier program.
Read more at the Michigan Football Community!
