Kalen DeBoer and Alabama football both have their individual ties to Michigan in 2023, the season where the NCAA opened its investigation against the Wolverines for alleged sign stealing.

The current Alabama football coach led Washington to the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship game against Michigan, falling 34-13 and giving the Wolverines its first national championship since 1997.

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Before beating Washington in the CFP National Championship game, Michigan beat Alabama in the CFP semifinal at the Rose Bowl 27-20 in overtime. An errant snap by former Crimson Tide center Seth McLaughlin allowed the Wolverines to stop Alabama on a fourth-and-goal Jalen Milroe run play at the 3-yard line to secure the win.

On Friday, Aug. 15, the NCAA announced its punishment regarding the Wolverines’ sign-stealing scandal. The NCAA put Michigan on four years probation, gave head coach Sherrone Moore a two-year show cause order and suspended him for the first game of the 2026 season along with a two-game self-imposed suspension in 2025. The NCAA also handed multi-year show case orders to both former Michigan and current Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, and former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions, who was at the center of the in-person scouting operation.

Michigan has announced it will appeal the NCAA ruling.

After Alabama’s second scrimmage, DeBoer said he “hasn’t even read” or heard about the ruling against Michigan.

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“I don’t have a comparison to other issues that we’ve had over the years, how it relates,” DeBoer said. “It is what it is. I don’t have too much of a response, I guess.”

Michigan is accused of running an in-person sign-stealing operation where a network of people associated with Stalions would take videos of the sidelines of future opponents and filming signs to dissect.

Alabama football opens the 2025 season against Florida State Aug. 30.

Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Kalen DeBoer reacts to Michigan NCAA sign-stealing punishment