Alabama football is undergoing a broad transition in assistant coaches. Two new moves became known on Wednesday as Saban builds his 2018 staff.
Will Nick Saban hire Hugh Freeze or not is has been the big question this week. Amidst that speculation and potential backlash, Nick Saban has progressed with other Alabama football staff changes.
As we suggested a couple of days ago, Joe Pannunzio will no longer be the Tide’s special teams and tight ends coach. Newly hired assistant Jeff banks will handle special teams. Tight ends are yet to be assigned. Pannunzio will move into Alabama football administration. It is expected Pannunzio will fill the Associate Athletic Director position vacated by Ed Marynowitz.
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The move by Pannunzio brings the total of exiting on-field coaches to four. There are still some unconfirmed reports that Burton Burns may retire and Karl Dunbar may return to the NFL. If 2018 recruit Tyler Dunbar announces for the Tide on Friday afternoon, it will be a strong indication Dunbar will remain in Tuscaloosa.
New Tide Assistant Coaches
Two new coaches have been hired in recent weeks, Phil Golding and Jeff Banks. Both are already recruiting for the Tide. Golding may have done some coach recruiting as well. Though not confirmed by the University, Bama Online reported Karl Scott will be joining the 2018 Alabama football staff.
Scott is the current Texas Tech secondary coach. He has coached with Pete Golding in the past. Prior to joining Texas Tech, Scott coached safeties at Louisiana Tech for one season. Before La Tech, Scott was the defensive coordinator at Southeastern Louisana. His earliest coaching experience came at Tusculum and Delta State. He is expected to fill the defensive back vacancy caused by Derrick Ansley’s move to the NFL.
Scott has developed Texas and Lousiana contacts that can make him a top recruiter. With all the new coaching competition in Florida, Saban may be building up the Tide’s recruiting pull in Louisana and Texas as a counter move. Golding, Banks and Scott are already strong in those areas.
What’s Next?
Even without Burns or Dunbar leaving, the Tide still has two openings for 2018. There are reports Saban is still trying hard to lure Chip Long away from Notre Dame to replace Brian Daboll. Saban is also clearly interested in Hugh Freeze joining the Tide staff in some capacity.
The Ole Miss NCAA sanctions did little damage to Freeze in terms of future employment. He can be hired as an assistant for the 2018 season. If Saban cannot close Long, Freeze might be brought in as Co-OC with Mike Locksley. The other Freeze option would be as offensive analyst, rather than being an on-field coach.
Saying Freeze has baggage is an understatement similar to saying Lane Kiffin has a big mouth. Saban may be willing to rehab him in Tuscaloosa. Some have reported SEC Commissioner, Greg Sankey would not favor Freeze being employed by any SEC school. Technically, Sankey does not have veto power over hiring by SEC schools.
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Nick Saban does not rush his coaching hiring decisions. Still, filling openings quickly is beneficial in recruiting efforts. We expect one or two more new hires will take place before this weekend.