For the first time since 2007, the Alabama Crimson Tide will start a college football campaign with a new head coach. Kalen DeBoer steps into legendary shoes this fall and has made the Alabama coaching staff his own as he looks to establish a new legacy in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama Crimson Tide Coaching Staff
Head Coach, Kalen DeBoer
DeBoer was named the Crimson Tide head coach in early 2024 following the surprise retirement of longtime Alabama leader Nick Saban. He arrives in Tuscaloosa with an impressive 37-9 overall record as an FBS head coach. While his most recent successes have come at Washington and Fresno State, the new Alabama head coach has a long track record of winning.
A standout multi-sport athlete at Sioux Falls who set program records as a wide receiver, DeBoer got his coaching break at his alma mater. Starting as the offensive coordinator in 2000, he guided the program to three NAIA National Championships in his first crack at being a head coach. The new Alabama head coach went 67-3 in five seasons before moving to Southern Illinois.
DeBoer filled offensive coordinator and positional roles at multiple programs before taking over as the head coach at Fresno State in 2020. He inherited a losing program but transformed the Bulldogs into a Mountain West contender by the end of the 2021 campaign. A demonstration of his dangerous offensive intent, Fresno State led the conference in total offense.
His performance with the Bulldogs earned DeBoer is first Power Five opportunity with the Washington Huskies. During his two seasons in Seattle, the new Alabama head coach transformed the program into a Pac-12 juggernaut, with two double-digit win campaigns, a 25-3 overall record, and an appearance in the 2024 College Football National Championship Game.
Full details of DeBoer’s college football coaching résumé can be found below.
- Sioux Falls (offensive coordinator, 2000-2004; head coach, 2005-2009)
- Southern Illinois (OC/WR coach, 2010-2013)
- Eastern Michigan (OC/QB coach, 2014-2016)
- Fresno State (OC/QB coach, 2017-2018)
- Indiana (OC/QB coach, 2019)
- Fresno State (HC, 2020-2021)
- Washington (HC, 2022-2023)
- Alabama (HC, 2024)
Offensive Coordinator, Nick Sheridan
Nick Sheridan arrives in Tuscaloosa for the 2024 college football campaign, landing on the Alabama coaching staff in the latest move that follows head coach DeBoer. The two have become inextricably linked in recent seasons, and Crimson Tide fans will hope that this successful relationship returns Alabama to the summit of the sport, starting with their inaugural campaign.
A four-game starter at QB for the University of Michigan, Sheridan began his coaching career mentoring the position at Saline High School. He got his college break with the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, working his way up from graduate assistant to QB coach and passing game coordinator.
A stint at South Florida was followed by three seasons gaining Power Five experience with the Tennessee Volunteers before becoming the QB coach at Indiana. Sheridan spent 2019 working alongside DeBoer at the Hoosiers before replacing him as offensive coordinator and powering Michael Penix Jr.’s early-career success.
Sheridan reunited with DeBoer at Washington in 2022, working with the Huskies’ tight end unit that was a feature of their successful offense despite a packed wide receiver room. After two years in Seattle, he follows his head coach to Tuscaloosa where he’ll serve as the offensive coordinator and QB coach on the Alabama coaching staff.
Sheridan’s full college coaching résumé can be found below.
- Western Kentucky (graduate assistant, 2011; QB coach and passing game coordinator, 2012)
- South Florida (QB coach and passing game coordinator, 2013)
- Tennessee (graduate assistant, 2014-2016)
- Indiana (QB coach, 2017-2018; TE coach, 2019; OC/QB coach, 2020-2021)
- Washington (TE coach, 2022-2023)
- Alabama (OC/QB coach, 2024)
Defensive Coordinator, Kane Wommack
A significant coup for DeBoer when assembling his Alabama coaching staff, Kane Wommack resigned from his position as the head coach of the South Alabama Jaguars to become the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the Crimson Tide. He arrives in Tuscaloosa with an impressive résumé that includes leading the Jaguars to consecutive bowl games.
Wommack has familiarity with DeBoer from the 2019 season, where he was the defensive coordinator at Indiana. He was a finalist for the Broyles Award with the Hoosiers in 2020. There is also a close connection to the Southeastern Conference, having played fullback for the Arkansas Razorbacks in 2005 and 2006.
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Although he last held defensive coordinator responsibilities in 2020, Wommack has extensive experience and success while holding the position. He helped the Eastern Illinois defense feature in the top 10 across multiple defensive metrics in 2015 while orchestrating the South Alabama unit to finish in the top 10 for passing defense during the 2016 campaign.
Wommack’s full college coaching résumé can be found below.
- UT-Martin (QB coach, 2010)
- Jacksonville State (graduate assistant, 2011)
- Ole Miss (graduate assistant, 2012-2013)
- Eastern Illinois (defensive coordinator, 2014-2015)
- South Alabama (DC/LB coach, 2016-2017)
- Indiana (LB coach, 2018; DC/LB coach, 2019-2020)
- South Alabama (HC, 2021-2023)
- Alabama (DC/LB coach)
Defensive Line Coach, Freddie Roach
Freddie Roach returned to the Alabama coaching staff for the third time in 2020, having previously served multiple roles from 2008-2010 and 2015-2017. Roach’s roots are in Tuscaloosa, winning the National Freshman of the Year as a member of the Crimson Tide in 2002.
Running Back Coach, Robert Gillespie
A 19-year coaching veteran, Robert Gillespie joined the Alabama coaching staff in 2021. He’s previously produced top-tier draft prospects from North Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma State, South Carolina, and West Virginia. Gillespie was a member of the Florida Gators’ 2000 SEC title-winning team.
Wide Receiver Coach, JaMarcus Shephard
After serving as the assistant head coach, passing game coordinator, and wide receiver coach under DeBoer at Washington for the past two seasons, JaMarcus Shephard reprises two of those roles on the Alabama coaching staff. After developing one of the best trio of WRs in the nation last fall, Shephard should bring success to the Crimson Tide.
Defensive Back Coach/Co-Defensive Coordinator, Maurice Linguist and Colin Hitschler
Another Group of Five head coach gave up his role to join the Alabama coaching staff for the 2024 college campaign as Maurice Linguist swaps the MAC for the SEC. An experienced and successful DB coach at both the college and NFL levels, Linguist has SEC familiarity, having spent 2018 and 2019 with the Texas A&M Aggies while developing all-conference talent at Buffalo.
He will split DB coach duties with Colin Hitschler, who arrives in Tuscaloosa having spent the 2023 season with the Wisconsin Badgers. He spent time with DC Wommack at South Alabama in 2016 and 2017, but is perhaps best known for his role in helping the Cincinnati Bearcats reach the College Football Playoff following the 2021 season. Hitschler also has NFL experience.
Tight End Coach, Bryan Ellis
A former high school QB in the state of Georgia, Bryan Ellis played for UAB before beginning his coaching career with the Blazers as a QB coach. Having served as the offensive coordinator at Western Kentucky and Georgia Southern in recent years, he’s been the architect of several high-scoring offenses and brings his talents to the Alabama coaching staff as TE coach.
Offensive Line Coach, Chris Kapilovic
After an all-conference playing career as an offensive tackle at Missouri State, Chris Kapilovic has established himself as one of the top offensive line coaches in the nation.
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Amongst his many successes, Kapilovic mentored the line that allowed Kenneth Walker to dominate college football in 2021 and helped Mitch Trubisky set program passing records at North Carolina.
Outside Linebacker Coach, Christian Robinson
Alabama has produced some of the best outside linebackers in college football during recent seasons, and now Christian Robinson will be charged with continuing that remarkable record. A former standout linebacker at Georgia, SEC football runs through his veins with stops at his alma mater, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Florida, and Auburn on his coaching résumé.
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