Alabama HC Kalen DeBoer Urged to Make 1 Major Change to Avoid Firing
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Amid his ties to the then-open Michigan head coaching job, reports surfaced that Alabama had an interest in giving head coach Kalen DeBoer a contract extension.
The Crimson Tide would go on to beat Oklahoma on the road in the first round of the College Football Playoff. The Wolverines hired Kyle Whittingham as their next head coach.
DeBoer might have had a case for a contract extension with a win over Indiana in the CFP quarterfinal. However, chatter about a new deal has softened after the Hoosiers beat Alabama 38-3 in the Rose Bowl.
DeBoer and Alabama missed the CFP in Year 1. In Year 2, the Crimson Tide made the CFP despite double-digit losses to a bad Florida State team and Georgia in the SEC Championship.
One big problem for DeBoer was the running game. Alabama was one-dimensional on offense, leaning on quarterback Ty Simpson to do it all with an offensive line and backfield that was consistently bad.
During an episode of the "Josh Pate's College Football Show" on Sunday, the host argued that DeBoer needed to fix the running game if he wanted to avoid being on the hot seat for the upcoming season.
Pate thinks DeBoer and Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian are in a similar situation in 2026.
“Sark, you could make the argument for, but that's a totally different kind of pressure," Pate said. "I think Kalen DeBoer is the same way. Sark and Kalen DeBoer are not facing like job security type pressure this year.
"There is immense pressure to level up the performance. For Texas, I mean, there's an immense pressure to compete for a national title. For Alabama, at the very least, do things like run the ball effectively, which leads to playoff contention. That sort of thing has to exist with those two this year."
DeBoer is 20-8 overall and 12-4 in SEC play during his first two seasons in Tuscaloosa.
Many Alabama fans have complained about DeBoer losing four games in each season.
In addition to the running game, Alabama must win more games in 2026 if DeBoer wants to stay the head coach of the program.
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