In the days since Nick Saban announced his retirement, Washington’s Kalen DeBoer has emerged as the apparent frontrunner to be the next head coach at Alabama.
Those rumblings only appear to be getting louder, with DeBoer cancelling an interview with a Seattle sports talk radio station that had been scheduled to take place on Friday.
“#Husky fans, we know you were looking forward to a visit with Coach DeBoer this morning,” 93.3 KJR posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Please understand that Coach DeBoer & UW Athletics are continuing to work towards a future we can all be excited about. At this time, Coach will not be joining us this morning, but we will reschedule our interview soon. #PurpleReign.”
DeBoer had been scheduled to join Chuck and Buck in the Morning live in studio on Friday. Based on the statement from the radio station — which is a part of the Washington Huskies Radio Network — it’s hard to read the change of plans as being related to anything other than the Alabama’s reported interest in the 49-year-old head coach, who has led the Huskies to a 25-3 record in two seasons in Seattle, including an appearance in Monday’s College Football Playoff Championship Game.
Appearing on The Herd on Thursday, Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt told Colin Cowherd that he would be “pretty surprised” if DeBoer isn’t Saban’s successor in Tuscaloosa.
“Alabama’s gonna try to play quickly,” Klatt said. “In my estimation, the most logical candidate in terms of the experience of the way they want to operate is Kalen DeBoer. “I’m actually gonna be pretty surprised if Kalen DeBoer is not the next head coach at Alabama.”
At -125, BetOnline lists DeBoer as the betting favorite to be the Crimson Tide’s next head coach, leading Clemson’s Dabo Swinney (+125). It’s unclear whether those odds have already factored in the news of Friday’s cancelled radio interview or if there might be value in betting DeBoer at his current price.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.