Kalen DeBoer
The numbers
$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
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
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
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
55 hours a year on a university non-commercial plane for personal trips; nothing carries over.
“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 18View the document →
Alabama pays his monthly dues at the Westerfield Club or another Tuscaloosa County country club.
“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 18View the document →
His playoff-appearance bonus ratchets up $150,000 for every consecutive year the team makes the field, and resets when the streak breaks.
“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 9View the document →
Fired without cause, Alabama owes 90% of the remaining money — and does not get to offset it if he takes another job.
“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 25View the document →
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 18View the document →
He is guaranteed a floor of $9.17M to pay ten on-field assistants.
“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 18View 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
The flights
Contract grants 55 personal flight hours a year → Published reporting on Alabama Crimson Tide aircraft during this tenure:
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.