Kalen DeBoer Ranked No. 9 Among Top College Football Coaches

CBS Sports ranked the top coaches in college football, with second-year Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer coming just on the fringe of the top ten.

Topping the list was Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, who won back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022. Smart’s Bulldogs won the SEC in 2024, but fell to Notre Dame in the Dawgs’ first appearance in the 12-team College Football Playoff.

Coming in just behind Smart is the most recent national championship-winning head coach, Ryan Day. Despite losing two games in the regular season, Day and the Buckeyes defeated Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and Notre Dame to claim the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship, Ohio State’s first since 2014.

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer came in at No. 9, behind LSU’s Brian Kelly. DeBoer stepped up for Alabama after former head coach Nick Saban retired in January 2024. While Alabama picked up impressive wins against the likes of Georgia and LSU in 2024, the Tide fell in a pair of unconventional losses to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma. Alabama also fell in Neyland Stadium to the Tennessee Volunteers, leaving the Crimson Tide just on the outside looking into the College Football Playoffs.

Alabama finished the year 9-4 after a sloppy loss to the Michigan Wolverines in the Reliaquest Bowl in 2024.

CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli wrote about DeBoer and his No. 9 ranking:

“Nobody envies the spot DeBoer was put in last season. Well, OK, plenty of coaches probably wish they could coach at Alabama, but they don’t want to be the coach who replaces Nick Saban. All things considered, it went well enough for DeBoer. There were bumps along the way (as well as some hilarious discussion of how DeBoer dresses on game days), but the Tide were still in the hunt for a playoff spot, which is the expectation every season. I’m very interested in seeing what Year 2 brings in Tuscaloosa.”

Despite being ranked No. 9, Kalen DeBoer has a winning record over every coach who is listed ahead of him, according to CBS Sports. DeBoer is 1-0 against Brian Kelly after Alabama smacked LSU in Tiger Stadium last November. DeBoer is 3-0 against Dan Lanning from his time as Washington’s head coach in 2022 and 2023, and 2-0 against Steve Sarkisian with victories in the Alamo Bowl in 2022 and the Sugar Bowl in the College Football Playoffs in 2023.

He holds a 1-0 record against Georgia and Kirby Smart after Alabama held on the defeat the Bulldogs 41-34 in Bryant-Denny Stadium in September 2024.

DeBoer and the Tide will look to return to the College Football Playoffs in 2025. Alabama will open its 2025 season on the road against Florida State in 100 days on August 30.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men’s basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.

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