This is nothing new. Since Nick Saban arrived at Alabama in 2007, the yearly coaching carousel hits Alabama’s assistant coaches at the end of each season and it makes sense. Find ways to win with proven winners from the pinnacle of college football: Alabama.
The coaching turnover you would think would affect the program as a whole, cause a dip in season wins, cause a dip in recruiting, but year after year and assistant after assistant, Alabama has continued to win and we all know why: Saban remains the Head Coach of the Crimson Tide.
Since 2007, Saban has had five key assistant coaches picked off from the program starting with Jim McElwain who was hired as the head coach at Colorado State on December 13 of 2011. McElwain stayed on at Alabama to coach with the Crimson Tide through the BCS National Championship game against LSU.
Then in 2014 offensive coordinator, Dough Nussmeier left Alabama to take the same position with Michigan. In 2015 Kirby Smart was hired away to Georgia, former offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin left the program on January 2 of 2017, and on February 7 of 2017 Steven Sarkisian who was hired to replace Kiffin, left to take the offensive coordinator position for the Atlanta Falcons.
The pattern continued on December 7 of 2017 when Jeremy Pruitt left his defensive coordinator position at Alabama to be named the head coach at Tennessee, but would stay on to help Alabama win the 2017 National Title beating Georgia 26-23 in overtime.
While coaching changes happen at every program, no program has dealt with assistant coaches leaving better than Alabama as they have an overall record of 77-8 (90.6% Win PCT) since Colorado State hired away McElwain in 2011.
Recent Assistant Coaching Movements
January 11, 2018
Jeff Banks was hired as Alabama’s new special teams coach on January 11. Banks a highly touted recruiting and special teams coach served as the special teams and tight ends coach at Texas A&M since 2013. Former Texas A&M player Christian Kirk said Banks going to Alabama was “Scary” and meant that in a good way.
January 11, 2018
Derrick Ansley, Alabama’s secondary coach since 2016 agreed to take the defensive coordinator position at Colorado State right before the National Championship, then on January 11 agreed to become the secondary coach for the Las Vegas Raiders under John Gruden.
January 5, 2018
Dan Werner has also left Alabama’s program to take a position at South Carolina. Werner was an offensive analyst for Alabama during the 2017 season and will likely be an offensive coach under Will Muschamp’s Gamecocks for the 2018 season.
December 7, 2017
Jeremy Pruitt, Alabama’s former defensive coordinator will be in his first year as the Head Coach at Tennessee. Pruitt helped Alabama end with the Nation’s number one ranked rushing defense and despite luring a few top recruits away from Alabama in the final weeks, Pruitt left with class and also left with another National Championship ring.
Movements that could follow
Rumors have continued to circulate around Alabama receiver’s coach Mike Locksley interviewing for a position at Florida State and there are also reports that Alabama offensive analyst Chris Weinke will be in Tallahassee over the next few days. Weinke who won a Heisman at Florida State has been an offensive analyst at Alabama during the 2017 season. It looked as though Locksley to Florida State was inches closer to being a done deal on Friday, January 12, but things have gone cold. So it will be interesting if anything does, in fact, go down between an elite recruiter in Locksley and Willie Taggart.
There have also been talks about Alabama offensive coordinator Brian Daboll going back to the NFL. On Wednesday, January 10 Ian Rapport of the NFL Network said Daboll’s name is on several candidate lists for an offensive coordinator job and that a return to the NFL could be coming soon.
We have also heard rumblings that there could be a shakeup with Burton Burns exiting the program as he is close to retirement. This is not confirmed, just rumblings at this point.
Defensive Coordinator Position
There has been no formal decision made for Alabama’s next defensive coordinator. Tosh Lupoi has the current title as “Co-Defensive Coordinator”, but it’s been quite interesting that Alabama has not promoted him moving into mid-January. There has been some talks that Pete Golding who Alabama hired from UTSA back in December could share a “Co-Defensive Coordinator” title with Lupoi.
Hired at UTSA as the defensive coordinator on January 21, 2016 the Roadrunners ranked as the No. 7 defense in the entire country allowing just 287.8-yards per game. Golding coached at Southern Miss from 2014 to 2015 where he coached the safeties and was the defensive coordinator at Southeastern Louisiana and during 2010 he was the defensive coordinator at Delta State.
A current look at Alabama’s Coaching Staff
Nick Saban - Head Coach
Burton Burns - Associate Head Coach/Running Backs/Special Teams
Brian Daboll - Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Defensive Coordinator - TBA
Karl Dunbar - Defensive Line
Brent Key - Offensive Line
Michael Locksley - Co-Offensive Coordinator/Receivers
Tosh Lupoi - Co-Defensive Coordinator/Outside Linebackers
Secondary Coach - TBA
Joe Pannunzio - Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends
Jeff Banks - Special Teams Coach
Pete Golding - Assistant Coach (Position yet to be named)
Ed Marynowitz - Associate Athletic Director of Football
Bobby Williams - Special Assistant to the Head Coach
Jody Wright - Director, Player Personnel
Ellis Ponder, Director, Football Operations
Who would you like to see hired next???
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