Kalen DeBoer should not be discounted in coaching power rankings for this huge reason

Make it make sense! In Tom Fornelli's 2026 Power Four Coach Rankings for CBS Sports, he may have Kalen DeBoer situated inside the top 10, but there are at least a few names ahead of him Alabama fans might roll their collective eyes at. While the top three of Curt Cignetti, Ryan Day, and Kirby Smart are not debatable, only amongst themselves, DeBoer is not getting the credit he probably deserves...

Here are Fornelli's top 10 head coaches across Power Four college football heading into the summer.

1. Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti
2. Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart
3. Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day
4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman
5. Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning
6. Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian
7. Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal
8. Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer
9. LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin
10. Michigan Wolverines head coach Kyle Whittingham

And if you wanted a visual representation of that, CBS Sports College Football has us covered on X!

DeBoer being at No. 8 may seem fair to some, potentially high for others. However, there are two head coaches ranked above him that really have no business getting the type of acclaim that they are. Those two guys would be Dan Lanning at Oregon and Steve Sarkisian at Texas. To this point in their coaching careers, what have they done that DeBoer has not? DeBoer has played for a national title!

Taking two different programs to the playoff over the last three seasons is nothing to sneeze at either.

Kalen DeBoer is undervalued by national media in head-coaching ranking

So far in their coaching careers, Lanning has made the playoff twice, and Sarkisian once. While all three of these head coaches in question have won multiple playoff games before, the furthest Lanning and Sarkisian have gotten is to the semifinals. Oregon got its brains beaten in by juggernaut Indiana last year in Atlanta. Texas stumbled in the final minutes by Ohio State in Arlington in 2024-25.

Now, if we were to factor in the head-to-head component, guess who comes out on top in that regard? DeBoer has owned Lanning, going 3-0 against him over the last four years. He also holds a 2-0 mark in games vs. Sarkisian. DeBoer even has a winning record vs. Smart at Georgia, but that is another conversation for another time. DeBoer has simply been a better coach than those two guys.

Overall, DeBoer has proven to be one of the most underrated head coaches in the country for a few reasons. He usually gets his team up for the big game, or at least better than most of his coaching contemporaries... While he does get dinged for losing some laughable ones, he has proven to be a head coach his players will give their all for. He will go to bat for his players, time and time again...

Read more: Kalen DeBoer hints that an under-the-radar transfer may have solved one major Alabama flaw

Ultimately, DeBoer should be either No. 5 or No. 6 on this list behind Cignetti, Day, and Smart in some order, as well as in the same grouping with Marcus Freeman and Mario Cristobal. All six of these head coaches have won multiple playoff games, and have at least played for a national championship in the last four seasons. Only Cignetti, Day, Smart, and Dabo Swinney have won the College Football Playoff.

For now, DeBoer should see himself climb up these rankings if he gets Alabama back into the playoff.

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