Home›Contracts›Kalen DeBoer
Alabama Crimson Tide

Kalen DeBoer

Current head coach

The numbers

Read off Kalen DeBoer's own contract, at the page each figure cites.

Annual compensation

$12,500,000

Contract Year 1 (February 1, 2026 – January 31, 2027)

Sum of printed components; the contract does not print a single total.

USA TODAY reports $10.25M (FY2025). That is $2.25M less than the contract's figure for this period.

What the document says
“4.01 Base Salary ... $6,250,000.00 [per Contract Year, page 8] + DMI Compensation ... $6,250,000.00 [per Contract Year, page 13]”Sections 4.01 and 4.04(e) · University of Alabama - Coach/Staff Contract - Deboer Kalen - 2026 · Page 8

Open the filed PDF at page 8 ↗

University of Alabama - Coach/Staff Contract - Deboer Kalen - 2026 · Page 8 →
Buyout if the school fires him

90% of remaining Base Salary + DMI Compensation + other compensation

full term

The document states a formula, not a dollar figure.

USA TODAY reports a buyout of $60.84M (FY2025) — a single figure as of that year rather than the formula this contract carries.

What the document says
“University shall pay, and Employee and DMI agree to accept ninety percent (90%) of any remaining Base Salary, DMI Compensation, and other compensation owed to Employee and DMI through the otherwise unexpired remainder of the Contract Term. ... This financial obligation from the University will not be offset if Coach obtains new employment.”Section 5.01(e) Liquidated Damages · University of Alabama - Coach/Staff Contract - Deboer Kalen - 2026 · Page 25

Open the filed PDF at page 25 ↗

University of Alabama - Coach/Staff Contract - Deboer Kalen - 2026 · Page 25 →
Term

Through January 31, 2033

full term

Running from February 1, 2026.

What the document says
“The term of this Contract shall be seven (7) years, commencing February 1, 2026 and ending January 31, 2033, subject to earlier termination in accordance with the provisions of Article V hereof.”Section 3.01 Term of Employment · University of Alabama - Coach/Staff Contract - Deboer Kalen - 2026 · Page 7

Open the filed PDF at page 7 ↗

University of Alabama - Coach/Staff Contract - Deboer Kalen - 2026 · Page 7 →

Figures on these cards are read off the cited document at the cited page. USA TODAY's row is reported alongside as a cross-check, not merged into them: a contract states scheduled pay for a contract year, USA TODAY reports one fiscal year of pay to whoever held the job, and the two are expected to differ. USA TODAY also lists a maximum bonus of $1.18M. Source ↗

The fine print

6 clauses we can quote, grouped by what they cover. Each line is the plain-English reading; the contract's own words sit one click beneath it.

Aircraft · 1
55hours / yr

55 hours a year on a university non-commercial plane for personal trips; nothing carries over.

What the contract says
“As additional compensation to Employee as Head Coach, during each Contract Year upon reasonable advance notice the University shall furnish or otherwise make available to Employee a non-commercial airline airplane for Employee's personal, non-business travel for a maximum of fifty-five (55) hours of flight time. Flight time, for purposes of the 55-hour maximum, shall not include return trips without Employee, members of Employee's family, or guests aboard the aircraft in conjunction with Employee's use of the aircraft for personal, non-business travel. Flight time not used in a Contract Year may not be carried over for use in the next Contract Year.”University of Alabama - Coach/Staff Contract - Deboer Kalen - 2026 · Page 18
View the document →
Memberships · 1

Alabama pays his monthly dues at the Westerfield Club or another Tuscaloosa County country club.

What the contract says
“The University will provide or make arrangement for Employee's use of membership privileges at Westerfield Club or a mutually agreed upon golf or country club which is located within Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. The University shall pay the monthly membership dues.”University of Alabama - Coach/Staff Contract - Deboer Kalen - 2026 · Page 18
View the document →
Bonuses · 1

His playoff-appearance bonus ratchets up $150,000 for every consecutive year the team makes the field, and resets when the streak breaks.

What the contract says
“If the Team qualifies for the CFP in consecutive contract years, the CFP First-Round or Quarterfinal Appearance bonus shall increase $150,000 for each consecutive year of CFP qualification. For illustrative purposes, a CFP Appearance bonus shall be $300,000 in the first qualifying year, $450,000 in the second consecutive year, $600,000 in the third consecutive year, and shall continue to increase in like manner for each additional consecutive year. If the Team fails to qualify for the CFP in any year ending the consecutive streak, the bonus for the next CFP First-Round or Quarterfinal Appearance shall revert to the original $300,000.”University of Alabama - Coach/Staff Contract - Deboer Kalen - 2026 · Page 9
View the document →
Exit terms · 1

Fired without cause, Alabama owes 90% of the remaining money — and does not get to offset it if he takes another job.

What the contract says
“University shall pay, and Employee and DMI agree to accept ninety percent (90%) of any remaining Base Salary, DMI Compensation, and other compensation owed to Employee and DMI through the otherwise unexpired remainder of the Contract Term. ... This financial obligation from the University will not be offset if Coach obtains new employment.”University of Alabama - Coach/Staff Contract - Deboer Kalen - 2026 · Page 25
View the document →
Oddities · 1
$225per month

The contract that grants him 55 hours of private flying also itemizes a $225-a-month phone stipend.

“Cell Phone. UA will provide a cell phone stipend of $225.00 per month per departmental policy regarding Head Coaches.”University of Alabama - Coach/Staff Contract - Deboer Kalen - 2026 · Page 18
View the document →
Term · 1
$9,170,000per year

He is guaranteed a floor of $9.17M to pay ten on-field assistants.

What the contract says
“UA will provide Employee with a salary pool in an amount of not less than $9,170,000 for ten on-field assistant coaches, and a support staff salary pool consistent with UA's prior practice.”University of Alabama - Coach/Staff Contract - Deboer Kalen - 2026 · Page 18
View the document →

Every clause here is quoted from the document it cites. A clause that cannot be re-checked against the scan is not published.

Read the contract

University of Alabama - Coach/Staff Contract - Deboer Kalen - 2026Filed document
open document →

The flights

Contract grants 55 personal flight hours a year → Published reporting on Alabama Crimson Tide aircraft during this tenure:

Saban-Linked N92RX Left Tampa After SEC Media DaysJul 23, 2026 · N92RX
read the report →
Saban-Linked N92RX Reached Tampa During SEC Media DaysJul 21, 2026 · N92RX
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Saban-Linked Jet Reached Dulles as College-Sports Bill Hit Senate CalendarJun 24, 2026 · N92RX
read the report →
Alabama's jet N552SC flew Tuscaloosa → Omaha → Tuscaloosa for the 2026 Men's College World SeriesJun 13, 2026 · N552SC
read the report →
Alabama's jet went quiet on June 11 because it's in Orlando for maintenanceJun 11, 2026 · N1UA
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Saban-Linked Jet Returned To Habersham After Senate TestimonyJun 3, 2026 · N92RX
read the report →
Saban-Linked Jet Staged Through Lake Burton Before Senate TestimonyJun 3, 2026 · N92RX
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Alabama's jet N552SC flew Tuscaloosa → Destin and Tuscaloosa → Oklahoma City during the 2026 SEC Spring MeetingsMay 28, 2026 · N552SC
read the report →

A jet clause is eligibility; a tracked flight is evidence; the join is presented as contract-next-to-reporting, never as proof the coach was aboard.

How this page is sourced

Where a contract for this coach is in the corpus, the headline figures are read off that document at the page each card cites, and USA TODAY's figure runs alongside as a cross-check. Where no contract is held, the figures are school-reported contract terms from USA TODAY's coaches salary database for the most recent fiscal year on file. Neither is W-2 compensation, and neither is comparable to Form 990 totals for private schools.

Clause text is transcribed verbatim from the cited document at the cited page. Where a term is attributed to published reporting rather than a document we hold, the card says so explicitly.

Flight reports linked here are attributed to the program and the date, not to a passenger. Nothing on this page claims a coach exercised a clause or was aboard an aircraft.