Why Alabama Approved Kalen DeBoer’s Contract Extension & New Buyout After Worst Postseason Loss in School History

After the most lopsided postseason defeat in the 122-year history of Alabama football, Kalen DeBoer’s job seemed to be on the line. Instead, Alabama handed him a massive contract extension. The Crimson Tide’s 38-3 loss against Indiana in the Rose Bowl was a 35-point beatdown, surpassing the previous worst postseason defeat, a 32-point loss to Nebraska in the 1972 Orange Bowl.

It was also the first time since the 1998 Music City Bowl that Alabama had lost any game by more than 30 points. DeBoer faced intense scrutiny this season, but the team has now approved a new contract extension and buyout for him, demonstrating their confidence in his future.

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Alabama gave DeBoer a new seven-year contract worth $92.75 million with an increase in his salary to $12.5 million per year, which is a $2 million raise from $10.5 million. While the raise serves as a reward, the primary goal is to secure DeBoer’s long-term commitment to the program and ensure he doesn’t leave for another job. The most significant change though is in his buyout clause. Under his previous contract, DeBoer could have left by paying a $3-4 million buyout before 2027. After than, he could have left for free.

But that’s not the case anymore. DeBoer will now have to pay $10 million if he leaves before the 2027 season, a figure that will gradually. This move is Alabama’s classic technique to protect itself from losing him to other teams since top programs like Michigan and Penn State were highly interested in taking him in.

Now comes the interesting part. To ensure that Kalen DeBoer doesn’t leave, the team also locked in a massive buyout on their end. Alabama would have to pay around $67.5 million if they fire DeBoer without cause in 2027, with that number decreasing each year. The contract covers about 90% of his remaining salary, and the raise also increases the total buyout for Alabama. But that stability is something the program clearly values.

This new salary puts DeBoer among the top five highest-paid coaches in college football. He now sits behind Curt Cignetti, who earns $13.2 million at Indiana after leading the Hoosiers to a national championship, Georgia’s Kirby Smart ($13 million), and LSU’s Lane Kiffin ($13 million). Ohio State’s Ryan Day is tied with DeBoer at $12.5 million.

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Well, another reason behind this move can be credited to last year’s chaotic coaching carousel. Nearly 10 coaches lost their jobs, the most in one offseason. Team were scrambling to find experienced replacements, and with everyone trying to fill vacancies at the same time, programs like Ole Miss suffered. In this market, it makes far more sense to pay a premium to keep your coach than to risk a messy search with no guarantee of an upgrade.

Plus, after a lot of early struggle, Alabama is finally gaining some momentum under Kalen DeBoer. He holds a 20-8 record with the team, which is impressive despite some shocking losses against Florida State and Vanderbilt. Fans always compared his losses to Nick Saban’s success, which ended up making things hard for him. But now this year, things can be a bit different. The team will play a QB who will develop completely under DeBoer, which means every loss or win will be on DeBoer.

Kalen DeBoer has shown notable improvement with the team. Last year, they went 7-1 in the SEC and were pretty much seen as a solid playoff contender. On top of it, let’s not forget taking over one of the most pressured jobs is not that straightforward, especially with constant comparison to Saban. Despite that, DeBoer took Alabama to a 9-4 record in his very first season. So, it makes sense why Alabama trusts him now.

But despite this major shift, one concern is still lingering on his shoulders.

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Paul Finebaum highlights Kalen DeBoer’s major concern

Kalen DeBoer might have gotten a raise, but their loss against Indiana raises serious concerns. In that game, Alabama’s offense played very poorly. They gained only 193 total yards and just 23 rushing yards, which is very low. What was more worrying was not just the numbers, but how the offense looked. The players seemed unprepared and struggled to respond. The opposing defense did not do anything complicated, but even then, Alabama couldn’t do much.

That struggle was clearly a coaching failure from Alabama’s side, and Paul Finebaum didn’t think for a moment before pointing it out.

“Even though I was being complimentary of Ty Simpson, I wasn’t being complimentary of Ryan Grubb and Kalen DeBoer,” Finebaum said. “I mean, they came out of this whole conversation looking pretty stupid.”

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Even former QB Ty Simpson agreed to it.

“From my point of view, I was like, they don’t do much,” Simpson said. “They do the same thing every down. So when I got the ball, I knew exactly what was going to happen. They just didn’t mess up, bro. They were in the same spot they were supposed to be. They were so well-coached.”

Alabama has made its financial commitment. The new contract locks DeBoer in, protects the program from poaching, and gives the coaching staff the runway to build something. But with his financial future secured, the pressure on DeBoer is no longer about job security. It’s about proving he can fix the on-field flaws that led to the most embarrassing loss in Alabama’s postseason history.