MARLER: DeBoer coaching rumors could get real if Bama stumbles

By Chris Marler

There are no certainties in coaching carousels. And, while we are in the midst of perhaps the wildest carousel we’ve ever seen, it could get even more chaotic and unhinged before the season ends. 

Lane Kiffin is in the middle of a Golden Bachelor finale of sorts between Ole Miss, Florida and LSU. 

It appears Eli Drinkwitz is being quietly courted as a Plan B for Florida, LSU and Penn State. 

And, Jon Sumrall and John Gruden are linked to every job opening from Arkansas head coach to seasonal help at the Target off I-10. Those hopes of a six win season and tacky Christmas sweaters aren’t going to fold themselves.

But one name surfaced last week that almost no one expected: what if Kalen DeBoer were to leave Alabama? 

After Alabama’s loss to Oklahoma, rumors tying him to Penn State started swirling. Anyone paying attention assumed it was classic agent maneuvering for a raise. And yes, Kalen DeBoer’s agent is Jimmy Sexton.

More reliable national sources shut down those rumors from the start.

“They really thought they could land one of these, like playoff-type coaches. I’d be pretty stunned if they did. That doesn’t seem like any of that is lining up. There were a lot of Kalen DeBoer rumors. I’ve been told those are not true,” said ESPN’s Pete Thamel on the College GameDay Podcast with Rece Davis last week. 

Even Paul Finebaum slammed the notion. 

“I know this will be a good time for me to get on a soapbox and give a manifesto on the absolute pathetic state of sports reporting and journalism,” said Finebaum. 

Chris Low of On3 echoed that sentiment, even noting that Penn State alum Landon Tengwall called the rumors “baseless.”

When a “reporter” with 3,000 followers on Twitter is the first to drop news that big, it’s almost always false. No disrespect to Jon Sauber of the Centre Daily Times, but it was never something that should’ve been taken seriously from the start.

However, just because it hasn’t happened yet, doesn’t mean it couldn’t. 

Alabama is 9-2 heading into Saturday’s Iron Bowl. That game is against a 5-6 Auburn team that hasn’t beaten Alabama in five years and is on the verge of their fifth straight losing season. 

Alabama sat comfortably in the top four of the College Football Playoff rankings just weeks ago, but the loss to Oklahoma changed everything. Now, the matchup with Auburn is a must-win. Another loss would drop the Tide to 9–3 for the second straight regular season and leave them out of the Playoff yet again.

If that happens, the pressure on DeBoer will crank up fast. In that scenario, the conversation around his future would almost certainly look very different.

Most in Tuscaloosa have denounced the Penn State rumors. But if you lose to Auburn, that fan and booster base isn’t going to be thrilled with DeBoer and the thought of him leaving isn’t going to be as tough of a pill to swallow. 

What I’ve also been told is that there’s one job he would consider leaving for. It would require a few moving parts, but none of them are as far-fetched as they sound.

A source in Gainesville said that if Lincoln Riley were to jump from USC to Florida, that domino could open the door for DeBoer to leave Tuscaloosa. Riley’s agent, Trace Armstrong, is a Florida alum who currently lives in Gainesville.

For DeBoer, it would mean a return to the West Coast and a state he’s already dominated in recruiting. Just last year, he signed three of California’s top five players, and Alabama has pulled in five of the state’s top seven recruits over the last two classes combined.

Again, it’s all speculation, but if Auburn beats Alabama on Saturday, it’ll be worth watching to see whether the smoke turns into fire.