Nick Saban reacts to massive Kalen DeBoer extension

Nick Saban. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Nick Saban reacts to massive Kalen DeBoer extension

By Daniel Morrison | Last updated Apr 29, 2026 1:42 PM ET

Alabama raised some eyebrows earlier in the offseason when it gave head coach Kalen DeBoer a contract extension that pays him $12.5 million annually. Among those to take notice was previous head coach Nick Saban.

Saban, who won six national championships for Alabama, never saw his annual salary get that high, but that doesn't mean he's upset with DeBoer. Instead, it's about keeping DeBoer happy in Tuscaloosa.

“Look, I think coaching is a competitive field, just like playing is a competitive field, and I think Kalen’s had a lot of opportunities (elsewhere) and if Alabama wanted to keep him, they needed to do what they needed to do to keep him,” Saban said, via Colin Gay of the Tuscaloosa News.

“I’m happy that he’s the coach. And I think when coaches change (schools) now, how much does your roster change? When I retired (in 2024), 26 players (transferred), which was hard for the next coach, whoever it was, to overcome. And I think they’ve done a pretty good job with that transition.”

Toward the end of the 2025 season, there were rumors that DeBoer could be on the move to Michigan. That never happened, but it was enough to get Alabama to pay up to keep him around.

Did Alabama make a mistake extending Kalen DeBoer?

The big question is did Alabama make a mistake giving Kalen DeBoer the contract extension? In the short term, the answer is no. It retained its coach and kept him happy.

“Absolutely, it is a significant investment by our department, by our university, and it’s something that we spent a lot of time and research on making sure we’re competitive in the marketplace, and at the same time making sure we have the right people in these positions,” Alabama AD Greg Byrne told reporters.

“I know I’ve spoken to President (Peter) Mohler about this and our trustees about this, the importance of stability during the time we’re in right now, and we believe this gives us an opportunity to do that with the men and women that are leading our programs.”

Stability is great. Retaining a coach matters. However, there are other questions to answer. For one, how many teams truly want to hire DeBoer? He's now very expensive, and only a couple of teams can match that. Meanwhile, analysts like Josh Pate argued the speculation about DeBoer and Michigan didn't match what was happening behind the scenes.

Then, DeBoer has underperformed on the big stage in two seasons at Alabama. That's a notable downturn from the success of the Nick Saban era.

In turn, fans will eventually begin calling for change. That's a change that, assuming the school agrees, becomes much more expensive as his buyout grows.

In that respect, Byrne and Alabama are betting big on DeBoer. Otherwise, his extension could become a quagmire down the line.

Daniel Morrison

Dan Morrison is a writer originally from Massachusetts, now residing in Florida. He spent four years at On3, working on the National News Desk there. Prior to that, he’s also contributed at Underdog Dynasty.

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