Kalen DeBoer has reportedly made the staff change Alabama fans were begging for

Kalen DeBoer hinted at some changes coming to his Alabama coaching staff in the immediate aftermath of Alabama's embarrassing 35-point Rose Bowl loss to Indiana. Change always felt inevitable, though Crimson Tide fans were understandably impatient in waiting for them to begin.

But with the Transfer Portal opening the day after the Rose Bowl, making a move never made sense until that two-week window was closed.

Alabama fans have begged for one change in particular: on the offensive line. DeBoer granted that wish on Friday night.

Per 247's Alex Scarborough, Alabama and offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic have parted ways. This comes after back-to-back underwhelming seasons up front, highlighted by one of the worst statistical outputs on the ground in program history.

Chris Kapilovic is out as Alabama's offensive line coach

It was long rumored that DeBoer would go in a different direction this offseason with the offensive line, but Alabama fans needed to see it to believe it. This move proves he's not tied to anyone, and he's willing to make the changes necessary to push the Crimson Tide back into the elite tier of college football.

DeBoer and GM Courtney Morgan have fundamentally flipped the entire offensive line room. They've added six players from the Transfer Portal and five in the 2026 recruiting class. Those 11 newcomers and five returnees will be coached by someone new.

There will be plenty of quality candidates interested in this job. The one who might make the most sense is Scott Huff, who is currently the Tight Ends coach with the Los Angeles Rams. He was the OL coach at Washington under DeBoer and OC Ryan Grubb, which culminated in a Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line in 2023.

Huff initially followed DeBoer and Grubb to Tuscaloosa to be the Tide's OL coach in 2024, but he ultimately joined Grubb back in Seattle with the Seahawks when Grubb was named the offensive coordinator there.

Change was inevitable and necessary after the dysfunction we saw up front in 2025. DeBoer has taken massive steps to fix those problems with a new roster and a new voice in the room.