lol @ Bama fans thinking DeMeco would be interested. There is no situation where you leave a top tier NFL situation (and the Texans are considered a good situation) to go to the NCAA unless you are forced out. While it's true that some coaches prefer college over pros, the fact of the matter is that you would rather be successful as a pro coach than as a college coach any day. Saban couldn't cut it in the NFL that's why he went back to college. Where has there ever been a coach who couldn't cut it in college therefore he goes to the NFL?
Sark’s extension looks to be done. Multiple sites reporting the leading candidates are Deboer, Norvell and current OC Rees.
Alabama isn't some NO-BRAINER job. Saban was a 10/10 coach, Alabama is a 8.5/10 program. Do NOT @ me. UT is the better job. USC in the BIG10 is better (although travel sucks). Ohio State is better. Michigan is better. Even though they have great talent CURRENTLY, when all said and done, Alabama isn't TRULY a better place to be than their SEC competitors like GA, FL, etc.. it's neck-and-neck in the SEC which is why it's the best conference. There is no scenario where someone new can go into Alabama and meet the fan's overly inflated expectations. GOOD LUCK
They got Deboer? Very - what have you done for me lately - hire. You're basically telling me, if this was 10years ago, they'd hire Chris Petersen. But hey, what are you gonna do? Not a ton to work with.
Seems like he was their fourth call at best; Lanning stayed at Oregon while Norvell and Sark both leveraged the rumors into new deals. DeBoer is a great coach, but he's never coached in the south, much less the SEC. He'll be competing with Kirby, Sark, Kiffin, Heupel, and Brian Kelly for talent and he has no connections to that region of the country. That said, I can't wait for the Alabama fanbase to pronounce his name on the call-in shows. "DEBOOBER AIN'T PLAYED NOBODY, PAWL."
I wanna know how many coaches said no even behind the scenes (Demeco). Hiring DeBoer screams “we need a warm body bc they gonna pillage our team and recruits,” also how bad do the Bama higher ups think of Kiffin that he didn’t even get a curtesy flush. lol. Edit: just saw the DeBoer is a Jimmy Sexton client so that explains a lot.
Or it could be that they actually like DeBoer. I mean, he did just take a team to the national title game and has done really well everywhere he's coached.
I almost said "To be fair, hiring Peterson 10 years ago means that he's still got some of that Boise momentum" and then I realized how old I am now
Does it really matter if you have experience in a certain part of the country, especially in the world of NIL and transfer portals? Brian Kelly had none. Urban Meyer had none - should Florida not have gone after him? Good coaches are good coaches. Seems better to go with a guy who has never failed anywhere he's been than a retread like Lane Kiffin who got fired from his one high profile gig.
Not sure why everyone is so down on DeBoer, dude is a damn good coach that took over a 4-8 program and just went 5-0 vs Lanning and Sark. I understand the SEC recruiting angle but think it’s a bit overblown. Brian Kelly was sporting the worst southern accent I have ever heard and went on to sign the #8 class in 2024 and already off to a ridiculous 2025 start. Edit: @Major beat me to it.
Interesting tidbit from ESPN: Two of the other guys mentioned prominently in the Alabama coaching search, Dan Lanning and Steve Sarkisian, were a combined 0-5 against DeBoer over the past two seasons. Washington was 4-8 the year before he took over and Texas has way more talent. Meanwhile, the UT thread is filled with complaints about Sark's decision making and Texas' preparedness/etc. Saban didn't win just by recruiting - he won by also being an outstanding coach. It could be that that's what Alabama thinks of DeBoer.
100%! The coach is more important than the program and Alabama is fortunate they had long tenures from both Bear Bryant and Saban. I think DeBoer is an excellent coach, but Alabama's program is going to decline under his tenure because he has an impossible act to follow.
