Kalen DeBoer left Washington to be Nick Saban’s successor at Alabama in 2024 and it’s gone fairly well, all things considered. National championships are the expectation in Tuscaloosa and DeBoer missing the College Football Playoff in his first season at the helm wasn’t ideal. But he has the Rolling Tide well-positioned to qualify for a CFP berth this year and the team will play in the SEC championship game on Saturday.
But given how wild the college coaching carousel has been this season, rumors have swirled connecting DeBoer to the still-open Penn State job despite his team’s success. On Thursday, meeting with the media ahead of Alabama’s championship bout with Georgia, DeBoer firmly put any noise he might head to Happy Valley to rest.
“We are extremely happy here,” DeBoer said when asked about the rumors and suggestions his family isn’t happy in Alabama. “Love the challenge, love the grind, love this place. There’s never been any link, there’s never been any conversation, there’s never been any interest either way. I’m glad we can put that to bed right now.”
"We are extremely happy at Alabama. ... There's never been any link, any conversation, any interest either way. I'm glad we can put that to bed right now."
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 4, 2025
Kalen DeBoer's response to being asked about the Penn State job. pic.twitter.com/uFi1vq1zqO
It’s the expected response. Despite any noise out there it was never realistic to believe DeBoer would leave Alabama, arguably the most prestigious job in the sport, for any opportunity—much less after only two years helming the Crimson Tide program.
The Penn State job is a tremendous opportunity but the school has had a lot of trouble finding a successor to James Franklin despite searching since October. Poaching a coach like DeBoer from another top-tier program would be a heist. It’s also a pipe dream, and that was the case before DeBoer publicly commented on it.
Whoever will be next to run the Nittany Lions program, it won’t be DeBoer. He made that abundantly clear as he prepares the Crimson Tide for their massive game against the Bulldogs on Saturday.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer Addresses Penn State Rumors Ahead of SEC Championship .
