Kalen DeBoer Clears Locker Room Worries as Michigan HC Job Still Open

At last, the tide turned for Kalen DeBoer as he snapped a two-year drought against Oklahoma. With a first-round 34-24 win, Alabama finally showed its real potential. Now, the victory steadies DeBoer’s footing, but the Michigan scare still lingers in his locker room. But DeBoer isn’t letting rumors define their win.

“This group is tight enough that there’s never been any finger-pointing,” Alabama’s head coach, Kalen DeBoer, told the media after Oklahoma’s game.

Oklahoma’s win brought stability to DeBoer’s tenure with the program. As the buzz around him getting on the hot seat was intensifying before the game. After losing against Florida State and missing out on direct seeding because of their SEC title game loss against Georgia, missing out on their only chance to solidify their playoff hopes would have ended DeBoer’s time.

On top of it, Nick Saban’s uncertain remarks, “Maybe they can get him to Michigan. I don’t know,” added another layer to DeBoer’s move to Michigan. However, that’s no longer the case. Even ESPN’s Pete Thamel confirmed Michigan’s intent on hiring DeBoer. But now, after the win, he is expected to remain locked in on playoff preparation rather than entertaining outside noise. Which he cleared already after denying his Michigan move rumors.

But DeBoer’s locker room was only focused on their game against Oklahoma, just like he said. The moment the speculations started growing, Alabama’s players too became vocal on the entire stance. Sophomore wide receiver Ryan Williams cleared the entire fuss, saying they aren’t worried about it at all, and that was reflected in their performance against the Sooners.

“At the end of the day, he serves us 100%,” Williams said. “That’s our coach, so we’re going to play for him. External noise is external noise, so we’re going to focus on the internal.”

Kalen DeBoer: “This group is tight enough that there’s never been any finger-pointing.”

— Chase Goodbread (@ChaseGoodbread) December 20, 2025

Even offensive lineman Wilkin Formby echoed the same confidence, saying nothing about Kalen DeBoer felt different despite all the rumors. And linebacker Yhonzae Pierre also called all the speculations “definitely not a distraction at all,” while linebacker Justin Jefferson sums up the team’s final verdict as no one is paying attention to outside noise. And the result? They overcame 17 points deficit and then won with a 10 point margin.

Now, to make sure Kalen DeBoer remains intact with the team, Alabama’s athletic director Greg Byrne and other officials are “aggressively” working towards a new deal. Nothing was finalized before Oklahoma’s kickoff, but now the officials already have the reason to give him an impressive extension like Indiana’s Curt Cignetti and Texas A&M’s Mike Elko.

Kalen DeBoer already signed an eight-year contract with Alabama that goes through 2031, and this season he made $10.25 million. So, with an extension in line, he might ask for more, which can be a problem for Michigan. Because buying out a coach worth $87 million isn’t that straightforward. Now, with DeBoer’s rumors coming to rest a new Big 12 coach is surging the odds.

Kalen DeBoer’s Michigan odds nears end

Sherrone Moore’s with-cause firing has forced Michigan to look for a new coach in this tight coaching scenario. With Kalen DeBoer’s chances slipping, Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham becomes the next favorite for them. As he emerges as the betting favorite to land the Michigan head coaching job, according to Kalshi.

Now, Dillingham’s impressive resume makes him a perfect fit for Michigan, as he compiled a 22-16 record at Arizona State in three years with an impressive 11-3 campaign. Then he led Arizona State to a Big 12 championship and college football playoff berth last season.

Even this year, despite injuries limiting quarterback Sam Leavitt’s time, they went 8-4, reinforcing his dominance. But there’s a high chance that Dillingham might not make a move. After an eight-win season, he already got a $200k raise and an extension till 31 December 2031, making his salary $6 million. So if Michigan really wants him, they need to invest big time in him.

With the transfer portal online, let’s wait and see how long it takes for Michigan to secure its new head coach.

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