Alabama’s game against Oklahoma crackles with tension long before the kickoff. Fresh off a fortunate playoff push despite losing to Georgia, beating Oklahoma will not just push them further in the playoffs, but will also secure Kalen DeBoer’s status. With Michigan rumors swirling, even a quiet conversation with the team’s AD feels like an ultimatum.

“Alabama AD Greg Byrne chats with Kalen DeBoer before the Crimson Tide kicks off against Oklahoma in the CFP,” Alabama Football’s beat writer Colin Gay said on X.

Now, Kalen DeBoer and Alabama’s AD, Greg Byrne, have constantly denied all the speculation around his move to Michigan. Even a new contract is on the way to secure him in the team. But losing a third time in two years against Oklahoma might push DeBoer to the edge. He was already in the hot seat after losing to Florida State earlier this season, and now missing the first-round playoff game will be another big blow.

Now, this loss against Oklahoma might force Alabama to rethink their contract extension decision that even Paul Finebaum was opposing. With concerns rising, even former players launched warning signs for DeBoer.

“In my opinion, I think his job is on the line in this game,” former RB Damien Harris said. “We’ve seen how hard it is to beat a team twice in college football, and if we look at this Alabama team, and we say, ‘You showed no improvement from the first time you played Oklahoma to the second time, and you weren’t able to make adjustments to flip the script of that game,’ that’s going to be a problem.”

After Bama’s loss against Florida State, Kalen DeBoer’s tenure was already a concern, and those wins against Louisiana-Monroe and Wisconsin couldn’t surpass it. On top of it, through 16 games in Tuscaloosa back in September, DeBoer held an 11-5 record, with four losses against teams where Alabama was favored by at least two touchdowns, which just.

Then they had two losses in the last four games, and a 2-6 record in games away from Bryant-Denny Stadium shows his struggles with the team. That brings up the question in everyone’s mind: is he really a perfect replacement for Nick Saban? At least Stephen A. Smith doesn’t agree to it.

“He’s not the right—listen, I know the man won at Washington … but I’m not a fan of him at Alabama,” ESPN analyst Smith said on Friday’s First Take. “Kalen DeBoer, to me, should not have been the successor to Nick Saban.”

$87 million can work as a safety net for Kalen DeBoer, as firing him might cost Alabama big time. But constant losses and struggles might force them to take a bold step. They might reduce his salary like Florida State did to Mike Norvell and Oklahoma State did to Mike Gundy.

With all those struggles, winning against Oklahoma is DeBoer’s only chance to secure his tenure with the team. But with Nick Saban’s remarks, even that path looks shaky.

Nick Saban gets real on Kalen DeBoer’s Michigan move

Adding another layer of uncertainty to it, Nick Saban made a bold admission about DeBoer’s move to Michigan on College Gameday before the kickoff.

“Kalen DeBoer has the total and complete support of the University of Alabama. They want him to be the coach at Alabama. Maybe they can get him to Michigan. I don’t know,” ESPN analyst Nick Saban said.

Now, Nick Saban’s words offer assurance that Alabama is still putting its trust in DeBoer, but there’s a chance that he might head to Michigan. What adds to it is Michigan’s constant pursuit of him. Despite DeBoer’s public denial, sources tell ESPN’s Pete Thamel that the Wolverines are still pretty high on him, and their first-round game against Oklahoma might define his destiny.

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DeBoer’s ties to Eastern Michigan, Fresno State, and Indiana, as well as his experience as offensive coordinator at Washington, make his Midwest recruiting connections strong. That can be an advantage for Michigan. Then his history of not staying with a program for more than two years just adds to the speculation. Now, with everything online, let’s wait and see how things turn out for DeBoer.