Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer hasn't addressed any Michigan Wolverines rumors that have sprouted in the aftermath of Sherrone Moore's firing and criminal charges filed in Ann Arbor.
According to Alabama receiver Ryan Willams, the team isn't worried about DeBoer going to Michigan at this point, saying that players are "not really worried about [the external discussion], if I'm being honest."
"Yeah, of course we see on TV. He gave his best effort here [at practice Friday]. Focused on playing against Oklahoma. We're not really worried about it," Williams added.
"That's our coach, so we're gonna play for him. External noise is external noise. We're just focused on the internal. ... That's kind of, like, our motto. Just focused on what's going on internal, because we got to play for each other. All we worried about is the people internal."
Of course, Williams may not be so interested in whether DeBoer stays or goes because he himself could be a goner from Tuscaloosa. Williams has been linked to the Auburn Tigers, who just lost Perry Thompson. There's an opening in the Freeze Four, as of now. Cam Coleman is being targeted by the Ohio State Buckeyes.
As Bama247's Mike Rodak relayed, the next time DeBoer will talk to the media will be Monday.
Kalen DeBoer-to-Michigan smoke is real
While DeBoer was a candidate for the Penn State Nittany Lions job, it turned out that PSU had to hire away a solid, if not top-notch coach from the Big 12, the Iowa State Cyclones' Matt Campbell, instead of stealing a premier SEC or Big Ten coach.
The Wolverines have more pull. They have endless spending power because of Oracle's Larry Ellison, and Michigan is closer to home for DeBoer. The smoke here is real. And if the program can't have a successful playoff run this December and January, a wildfire might be imminent.
Alabama's first-round CFP matchup against the Oklahoma Sooners this Friday will tell us a lot more about DeBoer's future than whatever he tells reporters on Monday.