One week into Kalen DeBoer's second season as the Alabama Crimson Tide head coach, and half of The Yellowhammer State wants him gone. DeBoer was a promising head-coaching candidate coming over from Washington after a decent run at Fresno State preceding that. However, he has proven to not be built for the grind that is SEC football. Alabama just lost to a Florida State team that went 2-10!
So even though it will inevitably cost Alabama boosters some absolutely ridiculous amount of money to move on fom DeBoer, probably upwards of the $70 million in buyout money, there is at least an interesting candidate pool of coaches who could conceivably replace him. One such name that appears high on the list would be Georgia defensive coordinator and Alabama alum Glenn Schumann.
That being said, just because he has the second-best odds does not mean he is an ideal candidate.
Glenn Schumann is on shortlist of potential Kalen DeBoer successors
Here is a list of the betting odds for the next potential head coach to replace DeBoer at Alabama.
- Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees: +300
- Georgia Bulldogs defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann: +400
- Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin: +500
- Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham: +700
- Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders: +800
- Alabama Crimson Tide co-offensive coordinator JaMarcus Shephard: +1000
- Detroit Lions linebackers coach Shaun Dion Hamilton: +1000
- Former Texas A&M Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher: +1200
- Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans: +1400
- Former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden: +1400
- Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell: +1800
- Tulane Green Wave head coach Jon Sumrall: +2200
And if you wanted a cool visual representation of that list, 104.5 ESPN has you covered over on X.
NEW: Odds to replace Kalen DeBoer as next head coach at Alabama
— 104.5 ESPN (@1045espn) September 2, 2025
More Here 🔗 https://t.co/4yOY50jKBI pic.twitter.com/lcU2JuTiWg
From this list, you can clearly see one coach after another with strong Alabama ties. Schumann went there. Shaun Dion Hamilton and DeMeco Ryans played there. Tommy Rees, Schumann and Lane Kiffin all coached there. JaMarcus Shephard is on DeBoer's staff. Jimbo Fisher played his college football in-state at Samford. Jon Sumrall is from Huntsville. The names on this list are certainly mesmerizing.
Unfortunately, there is no Dan Lanning, Steve Sarkisian or Dabo Swinney to be found on this shortlist.
Why Glenn Schumann is not built to be the next face of Alabama football
Schumann served as a student assistant and later a graduate assistant on Nick Saban's staff before following Kirby Smart over to Georgia. He may have been part of two dynastic programs back-to-back, but proximity to greatness does not equal greatness. In short, Schumann lacks the overall dynamism on the sidelines and with a microphone in his face to be the galvanizer Alabama needs.
As one branch after another has sprung off Smart's coaching tree, why is Schumann still on the vine some 10 years in? He is in his mid-30s, so why has he not been a serious head-coaching candidate any of the previous seasons? Fran Brown, Dell McGee and Sam Pittman were never coordinators under Smart, yet all three got to lead FBS programs. Shane Beamer was a glorified tight ends coach.
If there is one Power Four job that could conceivably make the most sense for Schumann to take, it would be to replace Mark Stoops at Kentucky. It is a job with relatively low expectations, but one that will give a good head coach the grace he needs to be successful. Look no further than Stoops being the longest tenured head coach in the SEC. Of course, Sumrall is a UK alum. He feels like a top choice.
Overall, Alabama hiring Schumann would be akin to more of the same, old nonsense that plagued the Crimson Tide program in between Gene Stallings and Nick Saban. Simply put, Schumann is not the cult of personality to undeniably unite a persistently fractured Alabama fanbase. It does not matter that he is one of them. Mike Shula played quarterback for them years ago, and his tenure did not take.
The right job may open up for Schumann, but it is not the time to leave Georgia for that hornets' nest.