After back-to-back years of mass transition, Alabama avoided a major shakeup in its coaching staff this season. The Crimson Tide saw defensive line coach Brian Baker, strength coach Scott Cochran and longtime assistant Burton Burns leave the program. Meanwhile, Alabama welcomed back Freddie Roach as its new defensive line coach while bringing in David Ballou as its director of sports performance and Dr. Matt Rhea as its director of performance science.
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Alabama officially announces the hirings of David Ballou, Dr. Matt Rhea
Here’s an outlook on Alabama’s coaches and the biggest question they’ll face this season.
NICK SABAN, head coach
Saban is entering his 14th year with the Crimson Tide. The 68-year-old is still college football’s top coach but missed out on the College Football Playoff for the first time as Alabama suffered its first multi-loss regular season since 2010.
Biggest question: Can he keep Alabama the kings of college football?
Saban doesn’t appear to have lost a step. However, Alabama does have company when it comes to maintaining its seat at the throne of college football. After appearing in four straight national championship games, the Crimson Tide’s absence from the College Football Playoff last season was eye-opening.
Clemson serves as Alabama’s biggest competition for supremacy with SEC foes LSU and Georgia building themselves into consistent threats. Can Saban once again assert his dominance over the rest of the nation? Doubt him at your own peril.
STEVE SARKISIAN, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks
Sarkisian put up impressive numbers in his first full season as Alabama’s offensive coordinator. The Crimson Tide ranked No. 2 in the nation in scoring (47.2 points per game) and No. 6 in total offense (510.8 yards per game). Led by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the nation’s deepest receiving corps, Alabama ranked No. 3 in passing offense, averaging 342.2 yards per game.
Biggest question: How will he handle the quarterback position?
This is bound to be the biggest question heading into spring camp as redshirt junior Mac Jones and five-star freshman Bryce Young appear to be the two leading candidates behind center. Jones was impressive in his final three games following Tagovailoa’s season-ending injury, completing 68.4 percent of his passes for a combined 937 yards and 10 touchdowns with two interceptions against West Carolina, Auburn and Michigan. On the other hand, Young is viewed as an elite talent and offers an added amount of dynamism at the position.
Ultimately, this decision will come down to who Saban feels is best. However, it will be Sarkisian’s job to further develop both quarterbacks in order to make sure Alabama’s high-powered attack keeps rolling along.
PETE GOLDING, defensive coordinator/inside linebackers
Things didn’t run as smoothly for Golding in his first season as Alabama’s defensive coordinator. Charged with overseeing a young and inexperienced unit, he saw the Crimson Tide rank No. 13 in scoring defense (18.6 points allowed per game) and No. 21 in total defense (324.4 yards allowed per game). Perhaps most alarming were the 94 combined points given up in losses to LSU and Auburn.
Biggest question: Will he learn from last season’s mistakes?
Golding took on plenty of heat from Alabama fans following the Crimson Tide's disappointing finish to the regular season last year. Perhaps the first-year coordinator was charged with too much of the blame considering his defense was decimated by injuries, including season-ending setbacks to both his starting inside linebackers.
Even so, Golding admitted to putting too much on his younger players, stating, “Sometimes as coaches, we can think too much and think we’re too damn smart at times.” Alabama returns linebacker Dylan Moses which should go a long way in adding a stabilizing force on the field. However, the Crimson Tide will still be inexperienced at outside linebacker and in the secondary — two areas Golding will have to make sure don’t develop into glaring weaknesses.
CHARLES HUFF, associate head coach/running backs
Huff enters his second season with Alabama blessed with an even deeper backfield than the one that helped the Crimson Tide average 168.54 yards per game on the ground last year. While Alabama has thrown the ball more in recent years, maintaining dominant ground game will be essential in keeping opposing offenses off the field.
Biggest question: How will he keep all of Alabama’s backs happy?
Najee Harris established himself as Alabama’s bell-cow back toward the second half of the season last year, receiving 15 of more handoffs in six of the Crimson Tide’s final eight games. Despite rushing for 1,224 yards and 13 touchdowns, the former five-star recruit elected to return for his senior season this year. Alabama will certainly welcome Harris back but will now need to find a way to keep him happy while also spreading the ball out to fellow five-star Trey Sanders as well as Brian Robinson, Keilan Robinson and three talented freshmen in Jase McClellan, Roydell Williams and Kyle Edwards.
CHARLES KELLY, Associate defensive coordinator/safeties
Kelly had a solid first season with Alabama, helping the Crimson Tide rank No. 11 in pass defense (187.2 yards allowed per game) while overseeing a safeties unit that tallied eight interceptions. He played a vital role in developing freshman Jordan Battle, who earned a starting spot in Alabama’s dime secondary.
Biggest question: How will he manage losing both his starters?
Alabama will not only be without a potential first-round pick in Xavier McKinney, who led the team with 95 tackles last season, it will also lose Jared Mayden, who tallied a team-high four interceptions. Kelly did a nice job of developing Battle. If he can produce similar results from sophomore DeMarcco Hellams or redshirt junior Daniel Wright, the Crimson Tide should be in good shape in the backend of its secondary.
SAL SUNSERI, outside linebackers
Sunseri started his second stint with Alabama, coaching the outside linebackers last season. He was in charge of a unit that produced Alabama’s two most dangerous pass rushers in Anfernee Jennings and Terrell Lewis, who combined for 14 sacks and 24 tackles for a loss.
Biggest question: Can he break in Alabama’s young talent fast enough?
Alabama had perhaps the SEC’s top pass-rushing duo in Jennings and Lewis last year. Now that both players have made their way to the NFL, things will be a bit more challenging for Sunseri. Alabama returns potential breakout players in Christopher Allen and King Mwikuta, but the key here will be developing the elite freshman class which features five-stars Will Anderson and Chris Braswell as well as four-stars Drew Sanders and Quandarrius Robinson.
KYLE FLOOD, offensive line
Flood is another assistant who shined in his first season at Alabama. The offensive line coach led a unit that finished as a finalist for the Joe Moore Award as the Crimson Tide ranked third in the nation, allowing just 12 sacks over 13 games.
Biggest question: Can he piece together the right front five?
Alabama brings back one of the best offensive lines in the nation. The key will putting players at the right positions to ensure the best starting five sees the field. Right tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. is Alabama’s lone departing starter and is expected to be replaced by Evan Neal, who would slide over from left guard. With Alex Leatherwood set to stay at left tackle, Flood will have to find the right mix of blockers inside.
Along with Neal and Leatherwood, Alabama returns starting center Landon Dickerson, who can play any position across the line, as well as guard Deonte Brown. Redshirt sophomore Emil Ekiyor Jr. and sophomore Darrian Dalcourt are names to watch moving forward.
KARL SCOTT, cornerbacks
Scott was one of the three returning assistants for Alabama last season, focusing exclusively on the cornerbacks after overseeing the entire secondary the year before. He helped the Crimson Tide limit opponents to 187.2 yards per game through the air while seeing his cornerbacks tally a combined seven interceptions.
Biggest question: Where should he line up Patrick Surtain II?
Alabama loses a starting cornerback in Trevon Diggs as well as its starter at Star in Shyheim Carter. Both of those players served as leaders in the unit and will be difficult to replace both on and off the field. In the past, Alabama has lined up a more experienced defensive back at Star due to the complexities of the position. This year, that role could fall to junior Patrick Surtain II who will be the most experienced member of the secondary.
Surtain has worked at Star in the past and has the physicality to play at the position. However, the 6-foot-2, 203-pound defensive back has excelled at the cornerback position and may be more suited to serve in a lock-down role on the outside.
HOLMAN WIGGINS, wide receivers
Wiggins stepped into a treasure trove his first season with Alabama, overseeing a wide receivers unit that will likely produce at least four first-round picks in Devonta Smith, Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III and Jaylen Waddle. Last season, the Crimson Tide’s receivers accounted for 3,802 yards and 38 touchdowns through the air.
Biggest question: Can Alabama remain just as dominant through the air?
Alabama is losing two likely first-rounders in Jeudy and Ruggs but received a nice boost when Smith announced he was returning for his senior season. Smith and Waddle are two of the top five returning receivers in college football and should put up stellar numbers next season. The question is, can Wiggins help develop more depth in the unit moving forward?
FREDDIE ROACH, defensive line
Roach returns to Alabama after spending the past three seasons coaching defensive line at Ole Miss. This will be the former Crimson Tide linebacker’s third coaching stint in Tuscaloosa after serving as the director of player development (2015-17) and assistant strength and conditioning coach (2008-2010).
Biggest question: Can Alabama generate more pass rush up front?
Alabama uncharacteristically failed to bring down opposing quarterbacks last season, ranking tied for No. 43 in the nation with 32 sacks over 13 games. Of that, just 7.5 of those sacks came from defensive linemen as the Crimson Tide started two freshmen up front for the majority of the season. Alabama returns redshirt junior LaBryan Ray, who suffered a season-ending foot injury last season. His emergence along with a more experienced unit should provide more pressure.
JEFF BANKS, special teams coordinator/tight ends
Jeff Banks was the only Crimson Tide assistant who did not see his title change last offseason. This past year he was in charge of a tight ends unit that recorded a combined 21 receptions for 209 yards and five touchdowns through the air. He also oversaw a special teams unit that featured the nation’s top punt returner in Jaylen Waddle, who averaged 24.35 yards per return.
Alabama struggled at punting, ranking No. 101 in the nation with 39.91 yards per attempt. However, the Crimson Tide was one of the best at defending kickoffs, allowing just 16.79 yards per return, good enough for fifth in the nation.
Biggest question: Can Alabama find stability at kicker?
Alabama once again struggled with consistency at the kicker position last season. Will Reichard was supposed to be the answer to the Crimson Tide’s kicking woes but suffered a season-ending hip injury midway through his freshman season. Joseph Bulovas was a respectable 8 of 11 on field-goal tries but had a long of just 43 yards and missed a potential game-tying 30-yard attempt in the Iron Bowl. Banks will need to help Alabama establish a reliable solution at the position, if for nothing else than the sanity of Crimson Tide fans.
DAVID BALLOU, director of sports performance
DR. MATT RHEA, director of performance science
Alabama took a different approach in filling the departure of Scott Cochran as its head strength and conditioning coach as it brought in David Ballou as its director of sports performance and Dr. Matt Rhea as its director of performance science. The two are highly regarded in their field and made significant strides at Indiana the past two seasons, helping the Hoosiers to an 8-5 record last year — the team’s highest win total since 1993.
Biggest question: How quickly will Alabama players buy into Ballou and Ray’s analytical approach work?
Ballou and Ray’s data-driven approach is the perfect complement to Alabama’s new sport science facility. Now it will be up to the duo to win over Crimson Tide players and have them buy into a new style of training. While it will be tough to replace an icon in Scott Cochran, there’s plenty to be excited about when examining the possibility of improvement under the new regime.
