Sources: S. Alabama’s Wommack is new Tide DC

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
Adam Rittenberg
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Adam Rittenberg

ESPN Senior Writer
- College football reporter.
- Joined ESPN.com in 2008.
- Graduate of Northwestern University.

Jan 15, 2024, 11:27 PM ET

Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer is set to hire South Alabama head coach Kane Wommack as the Crimson Tide’s new defensive coordinator, sources told ESPN on Monday.

DeBoer and Wommack worked together on Indiana’s staff in 2019, DeBoer as the Hoosiers’ offensive coordinator and Wommack as defensive coordinator. Wommack, 36, just finished his third season as South Alabama’s head coach and led the Jaguars to bowl games each of the past two seasons. South Alabama won 10 games in 2022, the most in school history as an FBS program.

In his final season as Indiana’s defensive coordinator in 2020, Wommack was a finalist for the Broyles Award, which goes to the top assistant coach in the country.

The Hoosiers led the Big Ten that season with 20 forced turnovers. When promoted from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator in 2019, Wommack at the time was the youngest Power 5 defensive coordinator.

Wommack’s father, Dave, was a 35-year coaching veteran and the defensive coordinator at Ole Miss from 2012-16. Kane Wommack worked under his father at Ole Miss as a graduate assistant and defensive backs coach and also worked with recently hired Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen on the Ole Miss staff and later became Allen’s defensive coordinator at Indiana when Allen was the Hoosiers’ head coach.

South Alabama ranked 15th nationally in total defense in 2023 (allowing 313.2 yards per game) and tied for 27th nationally in scoring defense (allowing 21 points per game). The Jaguars were 26th nationally in scoring defense in 2022 (allowing 21.3 points per game).

DeBoer, hired last Friday to replace Nick Saban as Alabama’s coach, has spent the last few days assembling his staff. He interviewed Travaris Robinson for the defensive coordinator job on Sunday, but Robinson decided to remain at Georgia after taking a co-defensive coordinator job with the Bulldogs three days after Saban retired. Robinson was the defensive backs coach the past two seasons at Alabama under Saban and took on an increased role in 2023.

DeBoer is expected to bring offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb with him from Washington as well as several other coaches and assistants that were on the Huskies’ staff in 2023. Running backs coach Robert Gillespie and defensive line coach Freddie Roach are expected to be retained from Saban’s staff at Alabama.