Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer agreed to a new seven-year contract extension with the Crimson Tide that raised his annual salary to $12.5 million, athletic director Greg Byrne said Wednesday in a University of Alabama Board of Trustees meeting.
Under his original deal at Alabama, DeBoer was set to make $10.5 million in 2026 with a salary that increased by $250,000 every year. The new deal, which was approved Wednesday by the board, put DeBoer among the top 5 highest-paid college football coaches in the country.
The deal came after Michigan considered DeBoer for its head coach opening when it fired Sherrone Moore. DeBoer’s buyout is now $10 million through January 2027, $8 million through January 2028 and $6 million through January 2029.
DeBoer previously told On3’s Chris Low that he never spoke to Michigan or had any discussions with school representatives.
“I didn’t come here to follow Coach (Nick) Saban only to turn around after two years and go somewhere else,” DeBoer told Low. “I mean, this is Alabama. I’m at an amazing place. That’s the way I was looking at it. I chose to be here. I love the support and love our players and love the direction and everything the staff has done to put the pieces together here over the last two years. A lot of heavy lifting’s been done to get us to this point.
“That will continue to happen. But man, we’re right here where we want to be, and I plan on being here for a while.”