Kalen DeBoer Backed By Alabama AD After New Contract, 'Ludicrous' to Change Coaches

Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne expressed his support for head coach Kalen DeBoer after he received a new contract ahead of the 2026 college football season.

"Expectations at Alabama are high. That's what you sign up for when you come to Alabama. That hasn't changed," Byrne said Wednesday, per ESPN's Heather Dinich. "What I also believe, though, is the idea of changing your coach every two to three years is absolutely ludicrous, and when you have a coach that you believe in, like we believe in coach DeBoer, you want to have stability in that, and you will have a lot of really good times, and you'll also have challenging times.

"Everybody's going to face that as our world has changed, and so our extension with coach DeBoer showed our commitment and belief in him, and that we really value stability at Alabama. And that's been the case with coach Saban, obviously, forever, and we want that stability to continue with coach DeBoer."

On April 22, Alabama handed DeBoer a seven-year contract extension containing an average annual value of $12.5 million.

He's entering his third season with the Crimson Tide, as they hired him to be the replacement for legendary former head coach Nick Saban in 2024. Saban coached Alabama from 2007 through 2023, winning six national championships over that span.

The Crimson Tide have gone 20-8 in two seasons with DeBoer patrolling the sidelines.

Last year, Alabama finished with an 11-4 record and advanced to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals before suffering a lopsided 38-3 loss at the hands of Indiana.

While DeBoer hasn't been able to take the Crimson Tide to the same heights that Saban did just yet, Byrne is still backing his current head coach.