Alabama coach addresses rumors of his departure to avoid yet another distraction heading into must-win Iron Bowl matchup
Alabama has all of its focus on beating Auburn, not possible coaching changes.
The Alabama Crimson Tide bounced back this weekend by putting on a running clinic in a blowout win against Eastern Illinois.
Now, Alabama has to get ready for a critical matchup against the Auburn Tigers in an Iron Bowl showdown that holds the keys to the entire season and their playoff hopes. After the College Football Playoff selection committee dropped Alabama to No. 10 in the country last week, everyone knew that the room for error was now zero, and they still controlled their own destiny.
As important as this game is, the last thing Alabama needed was any distractions from outside noise. Well, that’s exactly what they got with defensive coordinator Kane Womack, rumored to be a finalist for the head coaching job at Arkansas.
Kane Womack refuses to address any rumors about his departure
The end of the season is near, which means the coaching carousel will pick up speed as teams are already hiring their next head coach, like James Franklin, who was just introduced at Virginia Tech. This offseason is expected to shake up the state of college football with dramatic changes. Lane Kiffin isn’t the only coach rumored to go to a new school in the SEC, as Womack has been mentioned as a finalist for the head coach opening in Arkansas. Womack was asked about it today, and his response was brief and simple, he isn’t talking about it.
“I appreciate the question,” Womack said. “But I’m just not going to address any job opportunity stuff.”
ESPN’s Senior College Football Writer Pete Thamel dropped a nugget during Arkansas’ game on Saturday against Texas that listed Womack as one of four names heavily linked to the opening, with a decision coming soon.
The last thing Alabama needs is for Womack to get hired before the Iron Bowl game and have that announced as a distraction to the players and the rest of the coaching staff. This is a problem that college football struggles with every season, due to its timeline, and it needs to be fixed. Womack wasn’t the first rumor that started with Kalen DeBoer being a hot topic with the Penn State head coaching job as well.
Kalen DeBoer is a popular name for Penn State
Now, before anyone freaks out, these were just rumors regarding DeBoer being a top target for Penn State, and of course, he should be. There’s never been any real meat behind the rumors, though, and talks about it should quieten down until the season ends. Of course, things can always change, but ON3’s Senior CFB Reporter Chris Low shot down the rumors with his latest update.
The DeBoer talk should be over after a crazy weekend of speculations, but the chances of Womack leaving for Arkansas are real, even if he doesn’t want to talk about it. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb was also recently listed as a top candidate for the head coaching position at California, and I’m sure he would avoid the same question. Deciding not to talk about it is the right call to make, though, and now Alabama has to focus all of its energy on keeping its season alive by beating Auburn in the Iron Bowl on Saturday.
Alabama Crimson Tide News
Kalen DeBoer takes a shot at Alabama fans after they were heard booing a player who has struggled as of late vs. Eastern Illinois
Kalen DeBoer didn’t like what his players we’re hearing.
