Alabama Legend Defends Kalen DeBoer After Michigan Rumors

16 Dec 2025, 19:53 · The Fresno Bee

Former Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron reacted to Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer shutting down speculation that he might leave to coach Michigan.

Rumors surfaced over the past week amid the Wolverines’ firing of Sherron Moore. DeBoer’s name quickly became one of the names on a shortlist of candidates to take over as Michigan’s new head coach, thanks to his guiding Alabama to the College Football Playoff this season.

However, DeBoer made a statement to shut down the chatter, indicating he and his family were happy with where they are and that he had “not spoken” and wasn’t interested in speaking about other coaching jobs.

That statement came as the Crimson Tide is preparing for a huge first-round CFP playoff game against the Oklahoma Sooners.

On “The Dynasty” podcast, the two-time national champion McCarron shared his thoughts on the matter, including his defense of DeBoer taking on the pressure of coaching Alabama.

"Listen, there were other guys that passed this job up, that didn't want the pressure of following coach [Nick] Saban, the so-called GOAT of college football from a coaching standpoint, and this is a guy that, based off not just money- money means a lot when you’re in this profession- he wanted that pressure. He wasn't afraid of it. He took it," McCarron said.

He said many people respect Alabama’s head coach for raising his hand and taking on the challenge of following in the legendary coach’s footsteps.

"Listen, he's done an excellent job. Has it been perfect? No. That's part of the journey. That's part of the process," he said regarding DeBoer.

McCarron also said some critics suggested DeBoer might be out of his job if he can’t beat Oklahoma in the CFP. However, the former Tide QB had a message for fans about how to evaluate DeBoer’s performance as head coach so far.

"I think Alabama fans need to remember that sometimes. It's not about the result and being result-oriented, like coach Saban used to always say. It's about the process it takes to get that end result that you want. Trust the process. Trust what he's doing," McCarron said.

He also suggested that he believed DeBoer would be “awesome from now on and far into the future” as a head football coach.

DeBoer accepted the Alabama offer after Saban retired in January 2024. He's gone on to coach the Crimson Tide to back-to-back winning seasons, with a bowl game last year and his first trip with Alabama to the CFP this year.

Amid all the rumors, Alabama now focuses on the matter at hand: defeating an Oklahoma team that previously beat them in the regular season 23-21. The winner of Friday’s game moves on to the second round of the CFP with a matchup against No. 1 Indiana.

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This story was originally published December 16, 2025 at 11:53 AM.