The last couple of months of the college football season for Alabama in 2025 could be best described as a roller coaster. It was topsy-turvy, full of highs and lows, and the occasional performance that made you just want to vomit.
After losing the season-opener to Florida State, Kalen DeBoer righted the ship with eight straight wins for Alabama heading into mid-November. But rumors started spreading about DeBoer's perceived unhappiness with the job, and after a home loss to Oklahoma, rumors reached a fever-pitch connecting DeBoer to the open job at Penn State.
But Alabama again righted the ship, winning a pressure-packed Iron Bowl to clinch an SEC Championship Game berth and effectively clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff. But even after the Penn State vacancy was filled, new rumors persisted following the Crimson Tide's three-touchdown loss to Georgia in Atlanta, connecting DeBoer to Michigan.
Those rumors were deafening as Alabama fell behind 17-0 to Oklahoma in the opening round of the College Football Playoff, but the Crimson Tide rallied for a 34-24 win to advance to the Rose Bowl, where they ultimately got blown out by eventual national champion Indiana.
Contrary to what so many believed, DeBoer will be Alabama's head coach in 2026, and, according to him, he never seriously entertained otherwise.
And it's hard not to view his words as a shot - even if it was most likely unintentional - at Lane Kiffin and LSU:
.@BOL_On3 sat down with Kalen DeBoer, who opens up about the interest from other programs.
— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) March 4, 2026
"I don't know how I could talk to someone and look my team in the eye when I get in front of them each and every day when we're in the middle of a playoff run."
🔗 https://t.co/F1YQJO1nDN pic.twitter.com/svopJkjFP5
Kalen DeBoer may have accidentally called out Lane Kiffin
Kiffin certainly had no problem looking his team in the eye in the middle of a playoff run while entertaining the offer from LSU. In fact, Kiffin ultimately departed Ole Miss for LSU while his team was preparing for a College Football Playoff game.
Kiffin's unprofessional behavior is certainly nothing new to Alabama fans. While some still have a soft spot for the former Crimson Tide offensive coordinator, plenty of others remember his antics probably costing Alabama the 2016 national title.
Was DeBoer actually interested in leaving Alabama last year? We may never know. But he wasn't about to let any rumors cause a distraction for his players when they were fighting for their playoff lives.
Kiffin certainly cannot say the same thing.
And DeBoer probably wasn't even thinking about Kiffin when he said what he said. That doesn't change the truth.