Alabama Football: Coach Saban Has To Nail The Next DC Hire

After a surprising retirement announcement by Kevin Steele on Monday night, it is imperative that Coach Saban nails the next DC hire at the Capstone. Defense has been the cornerstone of the Alabama dynasty under Saban and after a much improved 2023 season, it is important to keep that momentum going in 2024.

It would seem the easiest and most obvious choice to fill the DC position would be current CB coach Travaris Robinson better known as T-Rob. He has been huge in recruiting for the Tide over the last couple of seasons and most importantly the current players seem to support the idea of this internal promotion. He knows what the expectations are for the Alabama defense and with Robinson's current contract running out in February it almost seems academic that he would be Saban's choice.

If for whatever reason Saban does go another direction other than hiring Robinson, I would hope it would be a young and upcoming guy like current Georgia co-defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann or former Mississippi State head coach Zach Arnett. He may have had a rough run in his first head coaching job but he seems to have a brilliant defensive mind. Schumann is probably a pipe dream and would be hard to pull out of Athens at this point, but we all know about his connections to Alabama as a student and grad assistant.

No matter what decision Saban makes, a quick one might be needed. In today's world of recruiting and the transfer portal, a drawn-out coordinator search doesn't do a lot of good for a program that is looking to maintain a certain level of stability entering an off-season that included an SEC Championship and Playoff appearance. The next week or so should be very interesting in Tuscaloosa.

If rumors are correct, Nick Saban may have to hire another defensive coach as well.