Alabama Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer has had a roller coaster in trying to build a coaching staff to keep the program atop of the college football hierarchy since taking over from Nick Saban.
So far, the former Huskies coach has solidified his two top coordinators. DeBoer thought he hit a home run by initially hiring Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.
Grubb is coming off his second season with Washington after spending five seasons with Fresno State. In 2022, the Huskies averaged 515.8 yards per game, second to Tennessee in the country, and 39.7 points per game, which was seventh in the country.
This past year, Grubb helped the development of Michael Penix Jr. He was the architect behind the No. 2 passing team in all of college football, behind only Oregon, averaging 347.7 passing yards through the air per game and finishing the season with 38 touchdowns through the air.
But after committing to the Alabama Crimson Tide job, Grubb ended up heading back to the West Coast and taking the Seattle Seahawks OC position when Mike Macdonald took over as head coach.
DeBoer was forced to turn to tight ends coach Nick Sheridan as OC once Grubb headed back to Seattle.
On the defensive side of the ball, Kalen DeBoer hired South Alabama head coach Kane Wommack.
The new defensive coordinator played at Arkansas and Southern Miss before early coaching stops at Tennessee-Martin, Jacksonville State and Ole Miss.
He served as USA’s linebackers coach and DC in 2016 and 2017 before returning as head coach in 2021. Now, he’s remaining in the state, filling the void left by the retired Kevin Steele.
“I have always found a way to do more with less and now I will have more, which is very exciting,” Wommack said. “But we need to see what those pieces can do and how they best fit.”
After taking the new job, Wommack spoke with AL.com, describing what Crimson Tide fans can expect from him under Kalen DeBoer’s new leadership.
“I think what makes me a good defensive coordinator is I recognize that players need to have production,” Wommack said.
“There’s a certain way that you need to call the game to make sure that you maximize a young man’s opportunity at the next level and also creates the best opportunity for you to win games.”
Wommack has run a 4-2-5 defensive scheme throughout his career that relies heavily on strong play from the safety position.
Keeping two assistants familiar with how Saban ran his program and that are plugged into the recruiting trail in the SEC is massive for a coach coming from a program so far away.
Alabama Crimson Tide HC Kalen DeBoer Hiring New OL Coach With Impressive Pedigree
After his new offensive line coach followed Grubb to the Seattle Seahawks, DeBoer has scrambling to fill yet another void.
He appeared to finalize the coaching staff on Monday.
Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer has reportedly found a new offensive line coach.
The Alabama Crimson Tide football team is set to hire Baylor offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic, according to ESPN senior writer Pete Thamel. Kapilovic was hired at Baylor in December but is now expected to join DeBoer in Tuscaloosa after Scott Huff’s departure to the Seattle Seahawks.
Kapilovic has over 30 years of coaching experience that began as a high school offensive line coach in Deer Valley (Ariz.) High School in 1992. Before his two-month stint at Baylor, Kapilovic was the offensive line coach at Michigan State from 2020-23. He was promoted to the assistant head coach and run-game coordinator for the Spartans in 2021.