Details of Kalen DeBoer’s first contract as Alabama football coach have been made public.
The University of Alabama board of trustees’ pay committee approved Kalen DeBoer’s first contract as head football coach on Monday.
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama: The University of Alabama board of trustees’ pay committee approved Kalen DeBoer’s first contract as head football coach on Monday.
DeBoer agreed to an eight-year contract that would expire on December 31, 2031. The first year’s compensation would be $10 million, and the last year’s income would increase to $11.75 million. The agreement was unanimously approved by the pay committee.
During the discussion, Greg Byrne, the director of athletics for Alabama, stated, “College athletics is under very unique changes.” We’re currently always changing. College football and athletics have undoubtedly seen the University of Alabama at the forefront.”
Through an open records request, Bama247 was able to obtain DeBoer’s contract. The breakdown by year is as follows:
$10 million in 2024
$10.25 million in 2025
$10.5 million in 2026
$10.75 million in 2027
$11 million in 2028
$11.25 million in 2029
$11.5 million in 2030
$11.75 million in 2031
Furthermore, if DeBoer leads Alabama to an SEC championship, a national College Football Playoff championship, SEC Coach of the Year or any national Coach of the Year award, and if the Alabama football team’s graduation rate is fourth or higher among all SEC programs, he may receive an additional $1.175 million in incentives each year.
The whole list of incentives is as follows:
DeBoer will earn $75,000 for reaching the SEC championship game, and would earn an additional $50,000 (for $125,000 total) for winning it; DeBoer will earn $150,000 for an appearance in the College Football Playoff, an additional $100,000 ($250,000 total) for reaching the quarterfinals; an additional $150,000 ($400,000 total) for for reaching the semifinals, an additional $200,000 ($600,000 total) for reaching the championship game; and an additional $275,000 ($875,000 total) for winning the national title; DeBoer will earn $25,000 if he is named the SEC Coach of the Year by the other head coaches in the SEC; DeBoer will earn $50,000 if he is named the national coach of the year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, the Associated Press, the AFCA, the Walter Camp Football Foundation, the Bobby Bowden Award, or “any other national coach of the year awards of similar import” according to the contract; DeBoer will earn $50,000 if the Alabama football team’s graduation rate ranks in the top half of all SEC football teams, and an additional $50,000 (for $100,000 total) if Alabama’s graduation rate ranks fourth or better among all SEC programs.
“From an investment standpoint in our coaches, we have young men and young women who come here expecting to compete at the highest levels, both athletically and academically,” Byrne stated. “It’s critical that we both want to keep and add coaches when we have them. There are extremely few options in the field.
High-level coaches require high-level investments, which is one of the key reasons our department has been successful. With the extra actions we’re taking today, I’m confident that we’ll continue to demonstrate that.”
Records obtained by the Seattle Times show that DeBoer was given a seven-year extension at Washington that would have paid him an average of $9.4 million annually through 2030.
On January 11, the day following Nick Saban’s official retirement, that offer was made. DeBoer was introduced as Alabama’s new coach the next day.
According to Steve Berkowitz of USA Today, DeBoer’s average annual salary while serving as Eastern Michigan’s assistant coach from 2014 to 2016 was approximately $140,000. In 2017–18, his average salary as an assistant at Fresno State was $320,000. Before joining Fresno State as head coach, DeBoer earned $800,000 as the offensive coordinator for Indiana in 2019.
Without bonuses, DeBoer’s four years as an NCAA Bowl Subdivision head coach have brought in roughly $9.9 million, split between two stops at Fresno State and two at Washington.
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