Robert Gillespie gave Nick Saban fits during his time as a running back at Florida in the early 2000s. Now he appears set to join the head coach as the newest member of his staff.
According to multiple reports, Alabama is set to hire Gillespie as its next running backs coach. He will replace Charles Huff, who coached the unit the past two seasons before accepting the head coaching job at Marshall earlier this month.
Gillespie has spent the past three seasons serving as the running backs coach at North Carolina. Before that, he spent five seasons at Tennessee where he served as assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator in addition to working with the Volunteers’ running backs.
Gillespie has also coached running backs at West Virginia (2011-12), Oklahoma State (2009-10), and South Carolina (2006-08). A four-year letterman at Florida, he played under Steve Spurrier from 1998-2001 before the “Head Ball Coach” gave him his start as a coach working as a graduate assistant at South Carolina in 2005.
Over his 16-year coaching career, Gillespie has produced 10 NFL running backs, including four-time Pro Bowler Alvin Kamara. This past season, he helped produce two 1,000-yard backs at North Carolina as Michael Carter ran for 1,245 yards and nine touchdowns while Javonte Willimas rushed for 1,140 yards and 19 scores on the ground.
North Carolina was one of just four Power Five programs to have two running backs with at least 1,000 all-purpose yards last season. The Tar Heels ranked No. 11 in rushing offense (235.83 rushing yards per game) and No. 5 in total offense (537.3 total yards per game).
Alabama will lose the reigning Doak Walker Award winner in Najee Harris this offseason but will still return a loaded stable of backs for Gillespie to work with. Senior Brian Robinson Jr. is expected to take advantage of his extra year of eligibility and return to the team next season. He will be joined by former five-star back Trey Sanders, who will be back after suffering back-to-back season-ending injuries the past two years. Alabama is also set to return a trio of freshmen in Jase McClellan, Roydell Williams and Kyle Edwards while Keilan Robinson is back after opting out of the past season. Alabama also holds a commitment from five-star recruit Camar Wheaton, the No. 1 running back in the 2021 class.
Saban is plenty familiar with Gillespie. Along with coaching against the former Tennessee assistant from 2013-17, Saban also coached against the former Florida back as a player in 2000 and 2001 while serving as the head coach at LSU. Gillespie gashed Saban’s defense for 189 all-purpose yards during a 41-9 win over LSU in 2000 before recording 140 all-purpose yards during a 44-15 victory over the Tigers in 2001.
Gillespie is a native of Hattiesburg, Miss. Following his career at Florida, he went on to play in the NFL with Washington (2002-03) and Jacksonville (2003) before getting into coaching.
