Alabama Football: Seven possible Defensive Coordinator options

Alabama Football cannot fully move forward in planning for the 2023 season until a new Defensive Coordinator is hired. Nick Saban has been in no hurry and he may continue to be patient. Or a new hire could be known in the next few days.

Many Alabama football fans are following the process with intense interest. The latest buzz on Saturday was provided by Football Scoop where it was stated Kevin Steele and Saban have spoken and that the former Crimson Tide assistant is a “legitimate candidate.” Steele coached for Saban twice in Tuscaloosa and was the Tide’s DC before Saban decided to give that job to Kirby Smart. Steele’s Auburn defenses through the 2020 season were consistently good.

There is a big difference between ‘talking to’ and offering a job. Saban gets feedback from many trusted sources and it makes sense for Steele to be one of them. A guess is no DC offers have been made yet, not to Ryan Grubb or Jeremy Pruitt or Todd Grantham.

Another guess is Nick Saban is still working a list of several names that don’t include the above three. Alabama fans, holding out hope for Pruitt, will be disappointed. He might return as an analyst, but if Saban was going to hire him as DC, it would have already happened.

I also do not believe Glenn Schumann will leave Georgia. Following an established pattern of Saban hires, it is most likely the final choice will be a coach with experience in Nick Saban’s defensive system. That rules out another fan favorite, Jim Leonhard.

Six More Alabama Football DC Options

Along with Kevin Steele, Nick Saban has six other options for the next Crimson Tide Defensive Coordinator. They are listed below in random order.

• Travaris Robinson – Robinson has one season as Alabama’s cornerbacks’ coach. He has held the same position at Western Kentucky, Southern Miss, Texas Tech, Florida, Auburn, South Carolina and Miami. At South Carolins he was also the DC for five seasons.
• Karl Scott – Scott was a defensive backs coach for Saban for three seasons (2018-2020). He left Tuscaloosa for the Minnesota Vikings and is now coaching for the Seattle Seahawks. He has only one season as a DC, at Southeastern Louisiana in 2014.
• Doug Belk – Belk was an Alabama GA from 2014-2016. He has been an assistant coach at West Virginia and is currently at Houston, where he has three seasons of experience as a DC.
• Deshea Townsend – The former Alabama defensive back was All-SEC for three seasons in the 1990s. Townsend had a 13-season NFL playing career. He has mostly been an NFL assistant coach since 2011. In one three-season break from his NFL jobs, he was the cornerbacks’ coach at Mississippi State. Townsend is currently coaching for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has never been a Defensive Coordinator and has never worked for Saban. Townsend makes the list because other former Alabama players are lobbying for him.
• Austin Armstrong – The new linebackers coach for Alabama could be a fallback guy as DC, despite his youth and limited experience. Saban lured him from Southern Miss where he was the DC. His connection to Saban comes through Billy Napier, Kirby Smart, Dan Lanning and Glenn Schumann.
• TBD – Someone none of the rest of us are considering but fits what Saban is looking for.

The answer to when will a new Alabama Football DC be chosen is that only Nick Saban knows and he may not know yet.