Now That Michigan Has Its Coach, It’s Time to Apologize to Kalen DeBoer

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Now that Michigan has officially announced Kyle Whittingham as its next head coach, it’s probably time for a few people to take a deep breath, and maybe even offer an apology to Kalen DeBoer.

For months, the college football world insisted on keeping a rumor alive that never made sense to begin with.

Every coaching carousel whisper, every vague national report, and every social media hot take somehow circled back to the same tired claim: DeBoer to Michigan. I

t didn’t matter how many times it was denied, dismissed, or flat-out laughed off.

The narrative stuck because some people wanted it to.

Now? Michigan has its coach.

And it isn’t DeBoer.

Whittingham is a proven, respected hire. He helped build Utah into a consistent winner and earned his shot at one of college football’s biggest stages. But his hiring also confirms what Alabama fans, and DeBoer himself, have been saying all along. There was never a real chance of him leaving Tuscaloosa.

DeBoer didn’t inherit a rebuilding project at Alabama.

He stepped into a program with elite infrastructure, resources, talent, and expectations.

He followed the greatest coach in the sport’s history and immediately went to work stabilizing the program, retaining key pieces, recruiting at a high level, and setting a clear vision for what Alabama football looks like in the post Nick Saban era.

That’s not a coach itching to bolt after only a few seasons.

Yet the rumors persisted anyway, fueled by outside noise and a refusal to accept reality. Every non-answer was treated as confirmation. Every Michigan development was twisted into “smoke.”Meanwhile, DeBoer kept doing exactly what head coaches are supposed to do: coach football, recruit players, and prepare his team for the future.

And now that Michigan has made its move, the silence is loud.

No sudden clarifications.

No backtracking.

Just the quiet realization that the whole conversation was built on speculation instead of substance.

DeBoer wasn’t using Alabama as leverage.

He wasn’t waiting on another job.

He wasn’t halfway out the door.

He was exactly where he said he was: committed to Alabama.

This should serve as a reminder of how quickly narratives can outrun facts in today’s college football landscape. Not every coach is looking for the next job. Not every big-name program is a stepping stone. And not every rumor deserves oxygen.

So yes, maybe it’s time to apologize to Kalen DeBoer.

For questioning his commitment.

For doubting his intentions.

For turning a non-story into months of unnecessary noise.

Michigan has its coach.

Alabama has its coach.

And the rest of the sport can finally move on.

The next time someone tries to manufacture an exit that doesn’t exist, remember this moment, and maybe listen when DeBoer tells you exactly who he is.

Because loyalty still matters.

Commitment still matters.

And when Kalen DeBoer tells you he’s building something in Tuscaloosa, it’s not a soundbite, it’s a promise.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos