Meet Alabama's new defensive coordinator: The 'perfectionist' Kevin Steele

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — There are plenty of adjectives former players used to describe Alabama's new defensive coordinator Kevin Steele.

From "intense" to "a winner" social media posts from Reggie Ragland, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and others were praised for bringing Steele back to Tuscaloosa. But one player stood out when Eryk Anders alluded that his former defensive coordinator was a perfectionist.

"He demands perfection and he makes sure everybody's playing up to his standard," Anders said. "I think that's something Alabama needed this year was a coach to 'crack the whip a little bit' if you will. I guess the game has changed a little bit with the transfer portal and NIL, it makes it a bit harder to coach these guys because if they get pissed off, they'll leave.

"I can assure you Kevin Steele is not going to care about that transfer portal. He's going to coach his way and do it his way. If they don't like it, they can go."

Steele was Alabama's defensive coordinator in 2007 and then became the team's inside linebackers coach and defensive signal caller the following season. Alongside new Alabama head coach Nick Saban, Alabama went 7-6 in the first season.

That year saw the Crimson Tide's offense average just 27.1 points per game which ranked it 64th in the country. The pressure to keep Alabama in the game went solely to the defense and it delivered yielding 22 points per game that season which was good No. 27 in the nation.

The following season, the stingy defense made a massive step forward allowing just 14.3 points per game which was the seventh-lowest total in 2008. An improved offense paired nicely with the defense as Alabama went 12-2 ending the year with a Sugar Bowl loss to Utah.

Although Steele left to become the defensive coordinator at Clemson in 2009, Anders gives his former coach a share of the credit for the defense that snapped Alabama's 17-year drought without a national title.

"(Fans) must have forgotten," Anders said. "Ask any player who's ever played for Kevin Steele, they are not going to have a lot of bad things to say unless they are not an intense, fired-up type of guy. ... He's had mixed results since 2009 coaching at other places, but they brought him back for a reason. Fans don't need to worry too much."

After a brief stint with Alabama in 2013-14, Saban would face a Steele defense every season from 2015-21. While Saban went 5-2 against his old defensive coordinator, he said before the Iron Bowl in 2020 that there's a difference when you play a team Steele is coaching.

"I think Kevin is just a really sound, fundamental," Saban said. "You win with execution. Their players really do a good job of executing whatever it is they do. They make really good adjustments to take away what you're trying to do. And the players play hard, and they play with a lot of toughness. I think those are all signs of Kevin's leadership. But it's always a challenge to play against him, that's for sure."

With the 2023 campaign less than five months away, Alabama linebacker Chris Braswell noted that Steele isn't wasting any time laying down his expectations for the defense.

"(A) great defense," Braswell said. "(That's) physical, fast, and eliminate mental errors and penalties."

What sounds like a tall order is by design according to Anders who said players need to prepare for Steele's intensity this season.

"Don't expect it to be easy, don't expect your ego to be scratched, don't expect to be babied," Anders said. "Kevin's not playing with that. Only come there if you want to be coached, you want to win and obviously for the opportunity to play in the NFL. Don't come for any other reason."