One of the biggest college football storylines still to play out this season is whether USC makes a change at head coach, and if it does, Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer is reportedly the name sitting at the top of the list.
Lincoln Riley is now six seasons into his USC run, and the results still haven’t produced the kind of breakthrough the Trojans were hired to chase. He has yet to land the marquee win that would show USC is truly back in the hunt for a national championship, and the sense around the program is that a split could happen during or after this season.
If that door opens, John Talty of CBS Sports reported that DeBoer is the leading target to replace Riley. Talty described USC’s interest as something people in the industry already know about, and suggested the ripple effect could be huge.
"It's kind of an open secret in the industry that if USC were to make a move, Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer would be at the top of the list," Talty said. "That's what I was talking about earlier with potential dominoes. Things could get real wild real fast if a couple things go a certain way."
The case against Riley is pretty straightforward. In his time at USC, the Trojans have reached the conference championship game only once, in 2022, and they have never made the College Football Playoff.
This season looks headed toward another finish that falls short on both fronts. USC is 6-2 through eight games, and it is likely to be an underdog in at least two, and possibly three, of its final four games.
That kind of ending would make the path toward a change much clearer: a season with multiple losses down the stretch, another missed conference title game, and another year outside the CFP.
Riley, though, has kept saying he believes he is the right coach for the job and that USC is where he wants to be.
DeBoer is an interesting fit on paper, but a difficult one in practice. He already made the jump from Washington to Alabama to replace the legendary Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa, which makes a move back to the West Coast and to USC feel like a step in a different direction.
Money would also complicate any pursuit. DeBoer signed a new seven-year, $87.5 million contract ahead of the 2026 season, and he is set to make $12.5 million per year under a deal that runs through the 2032 season.
There are plenty of moving parts here, and that’s what makes the rest of the season worth watching. USC’s finish, Alabama’s situation, and the futures of both head coaches all appear tied into the same conversation.
In Other News...
Alabama Still Has One Noah Rogers Decision Hanging Over The Offense
Noah Rogers has been back in the mix since Week 4, but Alabama still has not fully unlocked what it wants from the NC State transfer. A knee injury in spring practice slowed his rollout, and while the staff has clearly been interested in finding more room for him on offense, the challenge has been fitting him into an already crowded rotation without pulling someone else off the field.
Kalen DeBoer has said the Tide would like to involve Rogers more, which leaves this as more than a simple health update. It is a usage question now, and one that will keep lingering as Alabama sorts out how to balance its personnel. Elsewhere around the program, sophomore guard Amari Allen is entering the year with some real buzz after being named preseason All-SEC first team by league coaches following a strong freshman season and a solid preseason showing. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Heads To LSU With DeBoer Taking A Very Different Approach
The Alabama-LSU matchup on Nov. 7 already carried plenty of weight, but Lane Kiffin helped sharpen the edge by calling out the SECs decision to put the game in an afternoon window and suggesting the schedule favors LSU. His comments added another layer to a rivalry that rarely needs much help getting attention, especially with both programs entering a stretch where every move feels magnified.
Kalen DeBoer, meanwhile, has taken a noticeably different tack in the buildup, keeping the focus on Alabama rather than joining the public back-and-forth. With LSU dealing with injuries and the stakes obvious for the Crimson Tide, the game sets up as one of those November tests that can reshape the conversation around Alabama almost immediately, depending on how it plays out. [Read more 🡒]
Alabamas Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. Exit Raises A Bigger Accountability Issue
Dre Kirkpatrick Jr.'s exit has quickly become more than a roster note for Alabama, turning into a test of how the program handles off-field conduct when a player falls short of its standards. Kalen DeBoer confirmed the dismissal after Kirkpatrick was suspended and later arrested on doxing and harassing communication charges, a sequence that left the Crimson Tide dealing with another reminder that scholarship talent comes with expectations beyond the field.
Cam Newton weighed in publicly on the situation, using it as a moment to stress accountability and the responsibility that comes with being a scholarship athlete. For Alabama, the issue is no longer just about replacing a defensive back, but about reinforcing the line the program says it will hold when a player crosses it. [Read more 🡒]