Kalen DeBoer has no plans to take the Penn State Football coaching job as the Nittany Lions’ search slogs forward. While speaking to the media ahead of Saturday’s SEC Championship game, DeBoer put all Penn State rumors to rest with a definitive statement.
“Yeah, we’re extremely happy at Alabama,” DeBoer said on Thursday. “This is the first time I’ve been asked. I appreciate you, Charlie. We’re extremely happy here. Love the challenge, love the grind, love this place. There’s never been any link, there’s never been any conversation, there’s never been any interest either way. I’m glad we can put that to bed right now.”
Rumors surfaced before rivalry weekend that if Alabama were to lose to Auburn in the Iron Bowl, thus missing out on the 2025 College Football Playoffs, perhaps there would be some interest between DeBoer and Penn State moving forward. That didn’t happen, though, with the Crimson Tide taking care of business against their rival.
DeBoer signed an eight-year, $87 million contract with Alabama in January 2024. He’s about to wrap up his second year with the program and has a 19-6 overall record with the Tide to this point. He’ll lead his team into the SEC Championship game against Georgia this weekend in Atlanta.
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DeBoer wasn’t the first SEC coach to be rumored, whether it be from a report or by speculation, for the Penn State opening. Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea was linked to the job at one point, but wound up signing a new six-year deal with the Commodores before Vanderbilt’s game against Tennessee last weekend. The same can also be said about Texas A&M’s Mike Elko, who agreed to a new six-year extension with the Aggies back in mid-November.
There was also some internet speculation over the weekend that Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel was a potential candidate for the Big Ten position. However, in a statement sent to On3 Sports’ Chris Low, he also denied any interest in the job.
“I wouldn’t want low expectations,” Heupel told Low in the report. “That’s part of why I want to be here (at Tennessee). We’ll win big.”
For what it’s worth, the Penn State coaching search has been a true disaster for the Nittany Lions. It can be hard to distinguish what coaches it has actually gone after and which coaches have just been linked as possible candidates, but the fact of the matter is that Penn State has struck out on every candidate it’s gone after so far. With the uncertainty surrounding the program in the wake of James Franklin’s firing, Penn State signed just two players during early signing day on Wednesday. In comparison, Tennessee signed 28 players.
There may be a light approaching at the end of the tunnel, though. According to a report from ESPN on Thursday, Penn State seems to be turning its attention to Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell. The 46-year-old coach has a 72-55 record during his time with the Cyclones.
Update on Friday: Penn State is hiring Matt Campbell as its next head coach, according to a report from ESPN.
With his statement to the media on Thursday, it doesn’t look like Kalen DeBoer will be leaving Tuscaloosa anytime soon, which means that Tennessee will have plenty more meetings against him in the future. The Vols and Crimson Tide are annual rivals in the new-look scheduling format, which begins in 2026. DeBoer is 1-1 against Josh Heupel’s Vols in his two years, with a loss in Knoxville in 2024 and a win in Tuscaloosa in 2025.
