As Alabama prepares for next Friday's College Football Playoff matchup on the road against Oklahoma, it will unfortunately be dealing with an off-field distraction.
Head coach Kalen DeBoer has been listed by many as the top candidate for the Michigan vacancy following the Wolverines' firing of Sherrone Moore on Wednesday.
It makes sense that Michigan would be interested in DeBoer. He's widely considered one of the best coaches in college football. He's clearly got Alabama moving in the right direction, regardless of what some may think.
Alabama is recruiting at a high level, is in this year's College Football Playoff after missing it a year ago, and has a roster littered with young talent.
Michigan's interest makes sense. But is DeBoer interested in Michigan? That's the question that has frequently been ignored, and it's that context that ESPN insider Pete Thamel provided on Thursday that should cause everyone to pump their brakes just a bit.
Thamel stated in a video posted by ESPN from the Pat McAfee Show on Thursday that there has been "no indication" as of yet that DeBoer would have any interest in the job.
Pete Thamel states there's 'no indication' Kalen DeBoer is interested in Michigan
DeBoer has already been rumored to be a priority candidate at Penn State during this coaching carousel. Just last week, DeBoer was asked about that and stated unequivocally that he and his family were happy in Tuscaloosa and there had never been any discussion with Penn State about the job.
Why would Michigan be any different?
It's a better job than Penn State, to be clear, but it's not a better job than Alabama. He is clearly building something at Alabama and has the Crimson Tide on the right path. DeBoer's ultimate goal is to win a National Championship - he has everything he could possibly need to do so in Tuscaloosa. There's nothing about the Michigan job that would give him an easier path.
DeBoer is not scheduled to talk to the media again until Monday. He will undoubtedly be asked about it then. Alabama fans will hope that he puts out a statement before then to squash these rumors and allow the team to focus solely on next week's College Football Playoff matchup with Oklahoma.
The Crimson Tide has struggled enough in recent weeks without any distractions. They certainly don't need one now, heading into the biggest game of the season.