It’s that time of the year when college football coaches are getting fired, and rumors of who will replace the fired coaches swirl through the air.
In the Yellowhammer State, Auburn University has fired its football coach and is currently searching for a replacement. On the other side of the state, the University of Alabama is trending towards making the College Football Playoffs, but could they be joining their rival in the coaching search?
Penn State reporter Jon Sauber reported earlier this week that Alabama football head coach Kalen DeBoer is "still the program’s [Penn State] primary target."
On Thursday, Sauber appeared on Tide 100.9 with Ryan Fowler to address how DeBoer’s name made it to the top of Penn State’s list.
"He's been one of Penn State's top targets from the beginning," Sauber said with Fowler on Thursday afternoon. "I think it was, early on, a little bit pie in the sky, of course, Alabama's close game with South Carolina, there was a chance it could have picked up there. It didn't, and then the loss to Oklahoma nudged the door open a little bit. I still think Alabama would have to miss the playoffs to make this a real possibility, which, obviously, would include a loss to Auburn to end the year. And I'm sure the reaction down there wouldn't be great. He's been the top target since early on; I know they have a lot of respect for him and what he's done in his career, and he's someone that they think would be an excellent coach here at Penn State."
After Penn State’s first choice, Texas A&M’s Mike Elko, signed a contract extension, the focus then pointed towards the Crimson Tide’s Kalen DeBoer.
"It was Mike Elko for a while there, until he signed his extension with Texas A&M, " Sauber said. “I don't think it's coincidence that Elko hadn't signed that extension right away. I think there was a decision that had to be made there."
On Friday, ON3 college football insider Chris Low put an end to the rumors of DeBoer to Penn State for now. Low appeared on “McElroy and Cubelic In The Morning” and gave the latest news.
“I talked to somebody pretty close to Kalen last night, and they said, 'No,'” Low said. “I know there were a couple reports yesterday that he was right at the top of the list or somebody they had been considered from the outset. Somebody I talked to who was close to Kalen said that that was not accurate. But you know what, things change. You guys know that the coaching carousel’s cycle, there’s a lot of fluidity to it, but my information last night, I talked to somebody close to him that know that that’s not going to happen.”
DeBoer shouldn’t have any trouble winning this week against Eastern Illinois, but a loss in the Iron Bowl on Thanksgiving weekend would end Alabama’s playoff hopes. It could also send the rumors into more of a reality.
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