OPINION: DeBoer would not leave the most prestigious job in college football for Michigan

Over the course of modern history, the Alabama Crimson Tide has proven itself as the best college football program in America. Alabama is top-five in all-time record, national championships, bowl game appearances, all-time wins, All-American selections, first-round NFL Draft picks, most weeks ranked in the AP Poll and most weeks ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll.

Although Kalen DeBoer may not yet be one of the many responsible for such high status, he is the one currently responsible for upholding it, and he would not leave Tuscaloosa for a lateral move or downgrade in a team such as Michigan.

The Wolverines may appear in the top-five with the Tide in quite a few of the categories aforementioned, and they have won a championship more recently than Alabama. Michigan is a great football program, but its brand does not hold the same weight.

There have been many national championship-winning coaches to pass through Tuscaloosa: Wallace Wade, Paul “Bear” Bryant, Gene Stallings and Nick Saban. Not many programs can claim two head coaches, each responsible for six championships.

College football saw many dynasties back in the day, like Yale in the late 1800s.  Yale technically holds the most national championships all-time, although 14 of the Bulldogs’ 18 championships came before 1900.

It is for that reason that when Saban made his way to Tuscaloosa and won six national championships, two of which were back-to-back to kick off the 2010s, the college football world knew that he was special.

Saban built a brand, a standard synonymous with national championships, and he did so in both the BCS and College Football Playoff eras. But after the Tide fell to Michigan in the 2023 College Football Playoff semifinals, he knew his time was over.

Saban’s retirement left the most prestigious seat in college football open, one that would allow someone else to build a legacy. But that would also pose a tough challenge: following the footsteps of a legend.

Anyone who took the job knew it would come with high praise, but just as much, if not more, criticism. As everyone knows now, DeBoer took the job, knowing that there would be pressure on him like never before.

“This was one of the few places, maybe the only place, that I would ever left to come to,” DeBoer said in his introductory press conference. “So I understand what Alabama football is all about.”

In his two seasons in Tuscaloosa, he’s gone 19-7, including the postseason, and beat Auburn and Georgia twice, along with now earning the Tide a spot in the College Football Playoffs. He’s also recruited well and will, bearing unforeseen circumstances, finish the 2026 recruiting cycle with a top-5 class for a second season straight.

Although the struggles and stumbles that the Tide has seen along the way have not been what most Alabama fans are used to, it’s a process that needs time, and in just one season, DeBoer has improved upon the last.

However, that has not stopped the media from adding DeBoer’s name to the topic of conversation every time another head coach gets fired. Most recently, it was Penn State, but on Wednesday, it became Michigan.

There was speculation that he and his family were unhappy with Tuscaloosa, which mainly arose when the Penn State coaching search began to heat up, but he quickly dispelled the rumors.

“We’re extremely happy at Alabama,” DeBoer said. “We’re extremely happy here. Love the challenge, love the grind, love this place. And there’s never been any link. There’s never been any conversation. There’s never been any interest either way.”

DeBoer knew exactly what he was getting into when he signed the contract to become Alabama’s head coach, and that’s precisely the reason he will stay. If he didn’t want the challenge of following in the footsteps of a legend, if he didn’t want to be the best and win national championships, if he didn’t want or expect any strict criticism, then he wouldn’t have come to Tuscaloosa.

There is nothing more that the Wolverins in Ann Arbor could offer him, except a team that did not make the playoffs or its conference championship, which would pair with a subpar history of recruiting.