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Adam Rittenberg
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Adam Rittenberg
ESPN Senior Writer
- College football reporter.
- Joined ESPN.com in 2008.
- Graduate of Northwestern University.
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Chris Low
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Chris Low
ESPN Senior Writer
- College football reporter
- Joined ESPN.com in 2007
- Graduate of the University of Tennessee
Kalen DeBoer is adding a second sitting FBS head coach to his Alabama coaching staff, with Buffalo‘s Maurice Linguist agreeing to take a job on the Crimson Tide’s defensive staff, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.
Linguist will be Alabama’s co-defensive coordinator and also will coach defensive backs, a source said.
Having just finished his third season as Buffalo’s coach, Linguist will be able to call upon extensive experience coaching defensive backs. He coached the Dallas Cowboys‘ cornerbacks in 2020, and he has worked with college secondaries at nine different programs.
Prior to landing the Buffalo head job, Linguist served briefly as Michigan‘s co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach. Last year, he was a top candidate for the Cincinnati head-coaching job.
On Monday, DeBoer hired South Alabama head coach Kane Wommack to be his defensive coordinator.
Before moving to the NFL, Linguist coached cornerbacks at Texas A&M (2018-19), defensive backs at Minnesota (2017), safeties at Mississippi State (2016) and defensive backs at Iowa State (2014-15). Linguist is also highly regarded as a recruiter.
DeBoer, hired last week to replace Nick Saban at Alabama, is continuing to assemble his staff with a mix of coaches from his Washington staff and Saban’s old staff at Alabama while also going out and getting Wommack and Linguist, both of whom were head coaches for the past three seasons.
Linguist, 39, was 14-23 overall as Buffalo’s head coach. He played safety at Baylor.
ESPN College Football Senior Writer Pete Thamel contributed to this report.
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