Alabama

Kalen DeBoer, Curt Cignetti’s Alabama-Indiana coaching paths meet in Rose Bowl

Published

3 months ago

December 24, 2025

Kalen DeBoer, Curt Cignetti’s Alabama-Indiana coaching paths meet in Rose Bowl

BLOOMINGTON, IN – A self-professed film junkie, Curt Cignetti actually got an unintended head start on Alabama prep earlier this season.

The Crimson Tide played games during both of Indiana’s idle weeks this season, and Cignetti confessed he’s “always enjoyed studying coach (Kalen) DeBoer’s offenses.” So, without necessarily meaning to, IU’s coach managed to get eyes on the Hoosiers’ Rose Bowl opponent long before Cignetti know what would await him in Pasadena.

“They do a lot of really great stuff,” Cignetti said. “They’ve got a lot of great players, are extremely well-coached. They’re a really good team, and a tremendous challenge.”

That complimentary nod from one sideline to the other Monday afternoon reflected a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game steeped in intrigue, its two programs remarkably interwoven not least by the journeys of their two coaches.

Cignetti and DeBoer spent time during bowl-organized Zoom sessions praising one another’s success, and considering the similarities in their respective career paths.

From 10,000 feet, Indiana vs. Alabama in the Rose Bowl will be billed as a clash of new and old money. Of Southern establishment against Midwest revolution. History and heritage colliding with so many of modern college football’s overturned conventions.

On the ground, though, it presents a fascinating case study into the binding ties of a sport that’s never quite as far removed from itself as it thinks. And it pits against one another two programs that have never met on the field, yet remain unusually influential on one another today.

Curt Cignetti, Kalen DeBoer mirror one another’s coaching paths with stops at Alabama, Indiana

Their respective histories with one another’s current employers are the only meaningful points of intersection, career-wise, between DeBoer and Cignetti.

DeBoer spent one year as Tom Allen’s offensive coordinator, helping Indiana reach its first Florida-based January bowl game (at a time when that still carried greater meaning) in 2019.

And Cignetti spent four years as part of Nick Saban’s first Alabama staff, coaching wide receivers and coordinating recruiting for the program Cignetti eventually helped win a national championship.

But they’ve both distinguished themselves in their profession through their willingness to climb the coaching pyramid: From outside Division I, through lower levels as either a head coach or coordinator, all the way up to the sport’s biggest stage.

“Knowing coach Cignetti and — you referred to it — his path, nothing but respect for how he’s done it, how he’s gotten to this spot,” DeBoer said.

Cignetti’s path is well documented at this point: He left Tuscaloosa for Division II Indiana-Pennsylvania (IUP), coaching six years at the same school where his father built a hall-of-fame career before moving up through Elon, James Madison and Indiana. He routinely cites that experience as formative now.

DeBoer’s own arc is not that different.

The former Sioux Falls wide receiver won three NAIA national titles with his alma mater before taking coordinator jobs at Southern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Fresno State and Indiana, then landing his first head job back in Fresno.

In just five full seasons since — Fresno State only played six games in DeBoer’s first season due to COVID-19 — he’s won 54 games, guiding Washington to the national championship game and now Alabama to the playoff.

In an era when breaking into Power Four coaching without Power Four bloodlines has become increasingly difficult, each of the men captaining a Rose Bowl sideline come New Year’s Day will have earned his way to that moment through his willingness to walk the less-traveled road.

“I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” DeBoer said. “I think all of it goes into just being built for these moments.”

Kalen DeBoer is a historical marker of IU football’s growth

If their experiences have indeed built them that way, then what on their paths is shared has built the programs they bring with them.

DeBoer spent just one season at Indiana, but he has with him on staff several faces familiar to Indiana and its fans.

Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack and co-offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan were on staff in Bloomington with DeBoer. Director of sports performance David Ballou worked in Bloomington before joining Nick Saban’s staff, and DeBoer held him over through the coaching change. Rick Danison, a longtime member of IU’s strength staff, now works with Ballou in Tuscaloosa.

Even DeBoer himself still represents something increasingly important in Bloomington.

When Tom Allen hired him from Fresno State, IU handed DeBoer what was then the richest contract given to one of its coordinators. By the time his one season at Indiana finished — inclusive of bonuses and incentives — DeBoer landed just short of becoming the Hoosiers’ first million-dollar coordinator.

That number seems small now, when compared to the eight-figure salary Cignetti now commands, or the new three-year contract Bryant Haines signed this month expected to be worth in the region of $3 million annually.

They all represent the same basic idea: Indiana spent the best part of two decades spending meaningfully on football with the ultimate goal of eventually climbing to the place it occupies today.

“I felt like when we were there, there was a growth, an investment that was happening, and there was success,” DeBoer said. “Coach Cignetti has done a great job providing the spark, which really leads people continuing to be all in. As you get more people all in, you get the moments that you’re in right now.

“It works off each other — the energy and the commitment to the success.”

Curt Cignetti’s Indiana football a flavor of Nick Saban’s Alabama

Cignetti knows Alabama even better, in some ways, than DeBoer knows Indiana.

It was his last stop (of several) as an assistant before beginning his head-coaching career. It was where he won a national championship under Saban.

And it offered Cignetti an experience he refers back to now, almost daily.

“I probably think about it every single day,” Cignetti said.

Cignetti is not shy about referring to his blueprint — an all-encompassing philosophical approach to running his program he adheres to religiously. He even has a self-published handbook on many of its fundamentals to use like a sort of program bible.

Ask Cignetti about the mentors and experiences that helped him build that structure, and he’ll take you on a journey through his football life. From growing up watching his father, Frank Cignetti Sr., to his time at Pitt with Johnny Majors and Walt Harris, through to his time working under Chuck Amato at NC State.

Cignetti’s years at Alabama, which he spent watching perhaps the best program builder in college football history, remain among his most formative.

“Philosophically, the program we run here is probably a lot more the same than different at Alabama,” he said. “There’s probably not a day that goes by where I don’t draw from those experiences.”

He will carry them onto the Pasadena grass in less than two weeks’ time, his program’s first Rose Bowl victory and a place in the playoff semifinal on the line.

That game will come with all kinds of outside noise and meaning. It will be cast as representing many things, some more legitimate than others.

Few more so than the fundamental truth that both Indiana and Alabama will arrive to that moment in a remarkable number of ways because of one another, the connections that bind them together defining their respective journeys to Jan. 1, 2026.

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Alabama

Yaxel Lendeborg stars as top-seeded Michigan beats Alabama in Sweet 16

Published

7 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Yaxel Lendeborg stars as top-seeded Michigan beats Alabama in Sweet 16

March 27, 2026 / 10:25 PM EDT
/ AP

Yaxel Lendeborg had 23 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in a dazzling all-around performance, and Michigan beat Alabama 90-77 on Friday night to advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years.

Trey McKenney and Elliot Cadeau each scored 17 points as top-seeded Michigan set a school record with its 34th win of the season. Roddy Gayle Jr. finished with 16 points.

Led by McKenney and Gayle, the Wolverines (34-3) enjoyed a 33-6 advantage in bench points. But the versatile Lendeborg was the star of the show as his team grabbed control in the second half.

Next up for the Wolverines is Sunday’s Midwest Region final against the winner of Tennessee-Iowa State.

Labaron Philon Jr. scored 35 points for fourth-seeded Alabama, which reached the Elite Eight each of the previous two years. Latrell Wrightsell Jr. had 15 points.

Alabama (25-10) was once again without star guard Aden Holloway, who missed the school’s tournament run after he was suspended indefinitely following a March 16 arrest on felony drug charges.

Even without Holloway, the Crimson Tide stayed right with the Wolverines for much of the up-tempo matchup of two of the tournament’s highest scoring teams. But everything changed when Lendeborg, the Big Ten player of the year, started to assert himself at the beginning of the second half.

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Alabama

How To Watch: Michigan vs Alabama in NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

Published

19 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

How To Watch: Michigan vs Alabama in NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

After taking care of business in the first two rounds, the Michigan Wolverines head to Chicago for a tough, but passable second weekend. An Elite Eight draw of either Iowa State (Kenpom No. 7) or Tennessee (No. 14) makes for an interesting matchup, but up first is the Alabama Crimson Tide, who sits 12th in Kenpom with the No. 3 offense but No. 60 defense.

The Tide rolls into the Sweet Sixteen after crushing Hofstra and a JT Toppin-less Texas Tech, but faces its own star-player absence with the ongoing Aden Holloway saga. Michigan is nearly a double-digit favorite, but like a turbocharged Saint Louis, the Alabama offense can be the stuff of nightmares. Every game from here on out is a battle, though, and all things considered, the bracket is set up just fine for the Wolverines.

Sweet Sixteen: No. 1 Michigan (33-3) vs. No. 4 Alabama (25-9)

Date & Time: Friday, March 27, 7:35 p.m. ET
Location: United Center, Chicago, IL
TV/Streaming: TBS

These programs have actually not met in basketball since a neutral site Alabama win back in 2009. Of course, there have been a couple notable football encounters over the past 28 months, which makes it five games on the gridiron this century. It is fitting that these squads now meet in the Sweet Sixteen, as they are arguably the top two schools over the past decade when it comes to combined football and basketball success.

Alabama 2PT Defense: 48.2% (44th)

On paper, it looks like the Bama defense might be able to hang with Michigan’s elite interior shooting, but I struggle to believe the raw numbers. The size mismatch in this game will be apparent right away, as Aiden Sherrell is the only real big in the lineup with Charles Bediako no longer eligible (lol). While the Tide gives up a decent number of threes and plenty of assists, jumpers are not the way to go in this one.

There is a very real chance that the Wolverines just hammer the paint and put up ridiculous efficiency numbers. Aday Mara looks like the x-factor here, and if Sherrell gets in any sort of foul trouble, it might just be too much for the defense to handle. This may turn into a track meet (more below), but this game sets up well for Michigan to score whenever it wants down low.

Alabama 3PT Rate: 53.9% (1st)

With this potential problem in the paint, Nate Oats knows his squad will need to put up big numbers of their own, and like Jalen Milroe rushing the ball himself, the plan is no secret. This is not necessarily the most accurate three-point shooting team in the nation, but the volume figures are substantial. For Alabama to pull off the upset, it must trade threes for twos, and that — unfortunately — is a viable strategy on Friday.

The Wolverines absolutely must close out on all shooters and again entice their opponent to opt for shots inside the arc. Future lottery pick Labaron Philon is the biggest threat, both with his willingness to drive and ability to pass (5.0 APG), but really everyone on the floor is going to be an issue from distance. There have been instances this year where teams just cannot miss from deep, and a repeat of that would be a major concern for Michigan.

Alabama DReb: 67.3% (287th)

The Wolverines’ size advantage should also play a role on the offensive glass, as Alabama has been terrible in defensive rebounding. Though Michigan has fluctuated in its prioritization of grabbing misses, this does feel like the right opportunity to make the most of the offensive possessions with plenty of second-chance points being readily available without a ton of resistance.

Not only does the Tide struggle to clean up the boards, but it also owns takeaway numbers in the bottom-10 of the entire country, while Michigan’s ball security has quietly been very strong to close out the year. This sets up perfectly for a massive offensive output. The pitfalls are the same as always: fluky bounces, careless passes, and an over-reliance on threes. If the Wolverines can stick to their game, the scoreboard is going to be lit up.

Alabama Adj. Tempo: 73 (4th)

Even more than Saint Louis, Alabama wants to run, and when it does, it wants to chuck up threes. This is going to be such a fascinating game to watch, since obviously Michigan will be more than happy to do that going the other way as well, and the Tide’s absolute commitment to getting down the court is what could lead to all of the aforementioned offensive rebounding opportunities.

With this pace, Bama does not grab a ton of offensive rebounds itself, nor does it get to the line often. It does, however, get blocked A TON, which should be fun for all of the Wolverine bigs. How close this game is really comes down to whether or not Alabama’s threes fall. The Tide will run and will hoist up a ton of attempts; make a hearty amount and an upset is possible, but have a tepid outing and this could be a blowout.

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Alabama

Longtime coaching friends Dusty May of Michigan and Nate Oats of Alabama to meet in Sweet 16

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Longtime coaching friends Dusty May of Michigan and Nate Oats of Alabama to meet in Sweet 16

CHICAGO — Michigan coach Dusty May remembered when he was an assistant at Eastern Michigan watching 6 a.m. practices at Romulus High near Detroit.

At the time, Nate Oats was coaching boys’ basketball and teaching physical education at the school. The two forged a friendship that’s going strong 20 years later.

From a high school gym to the Sweet 16, May and Oats will be on opposing sides when top-seeded Michigan (33-3) meets fourth-seeded Alabama (25-9) in the NCAA Tournament’s Midwest Region semifinals on Friday.

“To get to where he is now, I don’t think you ever think that,” May said. “You don’t ever anticipate them getting to this level where they’re (at the) top of the profession but you know they’re really, really good because so much has to happen.”

Oats has led Alabama to a 170-72 record and five trips to the Sweet 16 in seven seasons after a successful run at Buffalo. The Crimson Tide are in the regional semifinals for the fourth year in a row.

Oats has been mentioned as a potential candidate for the North Carolina job, though he insisted he has “absolutely no reason to leave” to leave Alabama. He led the Crimson Tide to the Final Four two years ago and got a new contract during that run. He’s now in talks with the school about another extension.

Oats played at Division III Maranatha Baptist University in his hometown of Watertown, Wisconsin, and began his coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater in the late 1990s.

Michigan head coach Dusty May looks on during the second half against Saint Louis in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. Credit: AP/Jeffrey T. Barnes

“On March 15, my salary went up $500,000,” Oats said. “I still can’t believe I’m getting paid this much. I’m coaching basketball. Guys, I did this thing free at Maranatha for three years. I got paid $500 out of the Warhawk fund at (Wisconsin-Whitewater) a year for the next two years. I made $4,700 a year for 11 years. … Glorified PE teacher making too much money right now. I’m not going to complain.”

May has done well for himself, too.

He coached Florida Atlantic for six years and led the school to a surprising Final Four appearance. Michigan has reached the Sweet 16 in each of his two seasons. And if the Wolverines beat Alabama, they’ll set the program record for wins in a season.

“He’s the same guy that I knew as an assistant at Eastern Michigan,” Oats said. “With all the success he’s had, his ego hasn’t gotten any bigger, and I think that speaks a lot to the character of the guy.”

That’s something that stood out to Oats when he was at Romulus. Some recruiters seemed to be using him simply to get to his players. But May wasn’t like that.

“Dusty was one of those guys that was genuine, real, smart, and worked hard. … We got to be very close because we were both young basketball junkies trying to learn every which way possible,” Oats said.

Through a friend of May’s who worked for the Chicago Bulls at the time, they got to spend five days at the Bulls’ training camp when Scott Skiles was the coach. They remained close after May left Eastern Michigan. He helped Oats get his first Division I job, as an assistant at Buffalo under Bobby Hurley in 2013.

At the time, May was on Mike White’s staff at Louisiana Tech. White’s brother Danny was the AD at Buffalo, and he put in a call when Hurley told him he was planning to hire Oats.

“Danny called Mike and Mike asked me, ‘Hey, this is your friend. Can you put your name on him?’” May said. “I said, ‘Absolutely. He’ll be as good or better than anyone he can hire as an assistant coach at Buffalo.’ It was the same deal when he moved him to the head coach. They’d done a great job recruiting, and that left a major mark on the success of coach Hurley’s teams.”

More recently, Oats has left his mark on Alabama. And May has done the same at Michigan.

“He texted me last night and asked what hotel we were staying at,” Oats said. “I thought we were staying next to him. I didn’t talk to him about our basketball game. I talked to him about other stuff.”

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