Kalen DeBoer made the coaching move on Friday night that Alabama fans had been waiting for. After two disappointing seasons filled with inconsistent, and downright putrid, play up front, DeBoer made the decision to move on from offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic.
It's a move that was expected after the season. DeBoer made it clear that change was coming in his postgame press conference following Alabama's blowout loss to Indiana in the Rose Bowl. A change on the offensive line was always the most obvious.
Along with a new coach, DeBoer and GM Courtney Morgan have completely flipped the roster at that position group. 11 players are out, and 11 players are in. Alabama saw six departures via the Transfer Portal, and responded by adding six players in the portal. The five moving on via graduation/early NFL Draft entry are replaced by five in the 2026 recruiting class.
And now, DeBoer will be searching for new leadership in the room as the Crimson Tide looks to take a major step forward on the offensive line next season.
Let's take a look at some early potential candidates for the job.
4 early candidates for the Alabama offensive line job
4. William Vlachos - Miami Asst. Offensive Line Coach
This is a name that will be familiar to Alabama fans. Vlachos played for the Crimson Tide from 2007 to 2011 in the early years of the Nick Saban era. He was a starter on two National Championship-winning teams in 2009 and 2011 at center.
Vlachos served as a graduate assistant/analyst for Alabama from 2013-17. After a year with the Buffalo Bills as an assistant coach in 2018, Vlachos returned to college football. He served as the OL coach at Colorado (2021) and Central Michigan (2022). He spent 2023 at Western Kentucky and 2024 at Ole Miss in various assistant coaching roles. This past season, Vlachos served as the assistant offensive line coach at Miami, where he undoubtedly picked up some knowledge from one of the best in the business.
The Hurricanes had one of the top offensive lines in the country, and that led them all the way to the National Championship Game.
Vlachos may not have the level of experience that would be preferable, but he knows better than most what it takes to win at the University of Alabama. And his time working under Mario Cristobal and OL coach Alex Mirabel at Miami makes him all the more intriguing.
3. Roman Sapolu - Miami Dolphins Offensive Assistant
Sapolu has spent the last couple of seasons as an offensive assistant for the Miami Dolphins, but could be looking for work with the Dolphins firing head coach Mike McDaniel. Sapolu has experience coaching college offensive lines at Hawaii and Fresno State before he moved to the NFL.
It's the experience at Fresno State that makes him a potential candidate with the Crimson Tide. Sapolu served as the OL coach under DeBoer and Ryan Grubb at Fresno State in 2020 and 2021. Those Bulldogs teams had strong running games, led by strong offensive line play and star running back Ronnie Rivers.
Sapolu is another who is a bit off-the-radar, but he's a hungry young coach who would probably connect well with the players.
2. Brandon Jones - Missouri OL Coach
Missouri OL coach Brandon Jones has been a rumored candidate for a bit, and he would be a homerun hire for DeBoer. Jones is a former Texas Tech center who has had successful stints as an offensive line coach at East Carolina, Cal, Texas Tech, Houston, and now Missouri.
Jones has spent the last three seasons as the OL coach with the Tigers, and was vital in Missouri having one of the top rushing offenses in the country. His offensive lines will move people.
Jones was integral to the development of Armand Membou at Missouri, who went on to become a Top 10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
1. Scott Huff - Los Angeles Rams TE Coach
The most obvious candidate is Scott Huff, who coached under DeBoer and Grubb as the OL coach at Washington in 2022 and 2023, culminating in a Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line in 2023 when the Huskies made it all the way to the National Championship Game.
Huff was originally hired by DeBoer to be the OL coach at Alabama in 2024, but when Grubb took the offensive coordinator job with the Seahawks, Huff followed to stay in Seattle. Following Grubb's firing after one season with the Seahawks, Huff joined the staff of the Los Angeles Rams, where he has served as the TE coach this season.
The Rams are set to play the Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday. A win would put them in the Super Bowl in two weeks, which could delay the process if DeBoer has him at the top of his list for the job. But if the Rams lose, this could move quickly.
Huff and Jones appear to be the top two candidates as things stand now, with Sapolu and Vlachos as a couple of off-the-radar guys.