Let’s preface this article by saying that Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer is a good football coach. However, should he be perceived as the cream of the crop in Michigan’s pursuit of a new head coach? Many pundits think DeBoer is who Michigan far and away covets the most, but should that actually be the case? While DeBoer could succeed at Michigan, it’s time to play devil’s advocate and give readers a different rationale. Here are reasons why Michigan shouldn’t hire DeBoer.

Hasn’t exactly done well at Alabama

DeBoer has had a lot of success in his career (123-19 as a college coach), but it hasn’t been smooth sailing at Alabama. The Crimson Tide finished 9-4 last season and is currently 9-3 this season. The ‘25 Bama team narrowly made the College Football Playoff and will be heading on the road on Friday night to take on an Oklahoma Sooners team that beat them in November.

It’s always hard to follow in the footsteps of a legendary head coach, especially someone like Nick Saban at Alabama, but if they were to lose to the Sooners in the first round of the CFP, this would be a disappointing season for Alabama, considering their vast resources.

The timing of potentially hiring DeBoer

If Alabama is to beat Oklahoma, that means the Tide has another game in two weeks, which could effectively eliminate DeBoer from consideration due to time constraints. Michigan has to hire a new coach before the transfer portal opens on Jan. 2.

If Alabama loses to Oklahoma, the thought is that fans could turn on DeBoer, that he’s not a good fit in the south, and that he may just jump ship and head to Michigan. However, it seems a bit odd to target a coach who just (hypothetically) lost a game, which would be Bama’s fourth of the season. While one game or one season doesn’t define a coach, why would DeBoer be considered THE GUY in a what have you done for me lately sport?

DeBoer led Washington to the National Championship in the 2023 season, winning their first 14 games of the season before running into a juggernaut of a Michigan team and losing 34-13 in the National Championship.DeBoer lost to Michigan once more in the ReliaQuest Bowl last season, 19-13. Michigan had no business winning this game, throwing for just 9 yards in the second half — but Alabama’s three turnovers were hard to overcome.

Rushing attack is abysmal

DeBoer does not prioritize running the ball. Alabama ranks No. 116 in rushing offense this year, ranked No. 47 last season, and Washington ranked No. 104 in 2023. Teams need to be balanced in this day and age of college football. A team can have a fun and productive season with a pass-happy attack, but likely won’t win a National Championship without a steady run game they can turn to. While DeBoer could make Michigan’s passing offense better, he could make the rushing attack exponentially worse.

His comments about staying at Alabama

Earlier this week, DeBoer released a statement saying he has no interest in other jobs and hasn’t talked to any other programs.

“I have not spoken and have no interest in speaking with anyone else about any other job,” DeBoer said. “I am fully committed to this program and look forward to continuing as the head football coach at the University of Alabama.”

DeBoer saying he has no interest in speaking with anyone else about any other job will wind up being proven to be true or not true. While it’s an odd situation and hard to answer a question entirely truthfully, it would still wind up being a lie if he were to be interested in Michigan just days after saying he has no interest in other jobs.

While none of what was written in this article should be viewed as disqualifying DeBoer from consideration, it is merely pointing out that there is no infallible candidate. All have their pros and cons, including DeBoer. Wh9pe DeBoer should be one of the top names being considered, so should Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham, who’s viewed, along with DeBoer, as one of the favorites to be Michigan’s next head coach. There’s nothing DeBoer has done the past two years that should make Michigan have an ‘all or nothing’ mindset when it comes to luring him from Tuscaloosa to Ann Arbor.