Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne wants stability in the Alabama football program. It’s why he wants Kalen DeBoer to be its long-term coach.
While speaking to reporters Wednesday, May 27, at SEC Spring Meetings, Byrne was asked about DeBoer’s contract extension, one that raises the coach’s annual salary to $12.5 million.
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While the SEC moves to a nine-game conference schedule, increasing the difficulty year-in and year-out, Byrne said the extension was equally about stability as wins and losses.
“Our expectations at Alabama are high,” Byrne said. “That’s what you sign up for when you come to Alabama. That hasn’t changed. What I also believed though, is the idea of changing your coach every two to three years is absolutely ludicrous. When you have a coach that you believe in, like we believe in coach DeBoer, you want to have stability in that.”
DeBoer’s contract will run through January 31, 2033. He will have a buyout at $10 million through January 2027, $8 million through January 2028 and $6 million through January 2029.
Byrne said he expects “really good times” and “challenging times” for DeBoer in this new world of college football. But the extension is not solely about year-to-year production.
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“Our extension with coach DeBoer showed our commitment and belief in him and that we really value stability at Alabama, and that’s been the case with coach (Nick) Saban, obviously, and we want that stability to continue with coach DeBoer.”
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter or Instagram @colingaytnews.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Greg Byrne talks Kalen DeBoer Alabama football extension
