Michigan is the new Penn State of head-coaching searches.
It seems like every day there’s a new favorite to the Wolverines’ head-coaching vacancy, just like what happened with the Nittany Lions before they hired Matt Campbell to succeed James Franklin, who’s now at Virginia Tech.
Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer opened as the favorite to land the job after Sherrone Moore was fired last week before being passed by Washington’s Jedd Fisch shortly after. Then Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham surged to the top of the list with the best odds just days ago.
And now, there’s yet another new favorite — and he’s coaching in the College Football Playoff opener on Friday.
Right before the Crimson Tide played the Oklahoma Sooners in Friday’s CFP matchup, ESPN’s Pete Thamel revealed a major update on the DeBoer-Michigan rumors — one that is sure to shake things up in the coming days.
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“Sources tell me that Michigan officials remain convicted that they want to attempt to hire Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer,” Thamel reported. “The result of tonight’s game is going to factor heavily into that pursuit, as an Alabama loss would make the logistics of attempting to hire DeBoer much more tenable.”
Thamel also added that Alabama has been working feverishly to sign DeBoer to a contract extension but a deal hadn’t been reached before the CFP opener on Friday.
As of Friday night, DeBoer is the overwhelming favorite for the Michigan gig per betting market Kalshi with a 35% chance of getting the job — a 20% spike from the previous day.
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Dillingham is lasted with the second-best chance at 21% (a 10% drop), followed by former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham with an 11% chance.
Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban reiterated on “College GameDay” that the Tide is fully committed to DeBoer, but he also admitted there’s a chance he could end up in Ann Arbor.
“Kalen DeBoer has the total and complete support of the University of Alabama,” Saban stated. “They want him to be the coach at Alabama. Maybe they can get him to Michigan. I don’t know.”
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