Top Candidates to Replace Kirby Smart as Alabama Defensive Coordinator
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — While there’s a lot of speculation about who might be going or staying between the coaches, staff workers and players at the University of Alabama, one position that probably won’t be filled in the near future is defensive coordinator.
Although Kirby Smart was introduced as Georgia’s new head coach on Monday, he’ll still be on the Crimson Tide’s sideline during the upcoming playoffs. Naming his successor before Alabama’s season concludes might just add to an already potentially-confusing situation.
When faced with similar circumstances in 2011, with offensive coordinator Jim McElwain named the head coach at Colorado State in early December and Alabama set to play LSU in the BCS Championship Game, Nick Saban didn’t make a hire until January 18.
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| Category | FBS Ranking |
| Rushing D | 1 |
| Total D | 2 |
| Scoring D | 3 |
| Passing Eff. D | 4 |
| Third-Down D | 6 |
| Sacks | 3 |
| Tunovers | T22 |
That was Doug Nussmeier, who was with the Crimson Tide for two seasons. With his departure for Michigan on January 9, 2014, Saban moved quickly and hired Lane Kiffin the next day. However, Alabama’s season was already over, having lost to Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl, and Kiffin had served as an adviser during bowl practices.
While the coaching carousel in the NFL has yet to really start spinning, which could have a direct impact on who might be available when the time comes to make a hire, there are three names to know regarding Smart’s eventual replacement, although Saban doesn’t appear to be in any rush to name one:
1. Jeremy Pruitt
After Saban hired Pruitt from Hoover High School (outside of Birmingham, Ala.) in 2007, he started grooming him to be an eventual replacement for Smart as defensive coordinator.
Pruitt spent three seasons as the Crimson Tide’s Director of Player Development and then took over as defensive backs coach (2010-12). However, with Smart still at Alabama, Jimbo Fisher hired him away to be defensive coordinator for Florida State’s national championship season in 2013, and he spent the past two seasons in the same role at Georgia.
“He's a very good coach,” senior linebacker Reggie Ragland said before Alabama played Georgia this season. “Country a little bit, but he's a great guy, though. I miss Coach Pruitt because he was here the whole time I was recruited and he was always good to me and my family.”
Pruitt’s name is the one to watch over the next couple of weeks, as it appears he won’t be retained by Smart, who on Monday announced he’d hired Glenn Schumann, Alabama’s Director of Player Development and Associate Director of Player Personnel for a coaching role to be determined.
If Pruitt is applying for other jobs …
"I have a tremendous amount of respect for Jeremy and I think he knows that, as have all the guys that worked here and did well for us, that we appreciate the job that he did and I'm happy to see them doing well when they go on to do other things, which is the goal and aspirations most of our assistant coaches have,” Saban said. “They want to be coordinators, they want to be head coaches and no different than I was when I was an assistant. We're happy to see him do well.
“We have a good relationship, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for the job that he did here. I think he did a fantastic job here and I think it goes without saying that the results he's gotten where he's been, it doesn't surprise me.”
2. Mel Tucker
One thing that works in Tucker’s favor is that Saban prefers his coordinators to have both college and NFL experience, and he’s been a defensive coordinator at both levels.
After being Saban’s defensive backs coach at LSU in 2000, he went to Ohio State to serve as both defensive backs coach (2001-03) and co-coordinator (2004) before making the jump to the NFL. He was the defensive coordinator at Cleveland (2008), Jacksonville (2012) and Chicago (2013-14), and the Jaguars interim head coach in 2011.
“He’s a good guy,” Alabama senior safety Geno Matias-Smith recently said. “Coach Tucker just pushes us so much. He never lets up on us from the film room to practice to the practice field when we’re meeting, talking over plays, he’s always, constantly, ‘You got to get better.’ It’s definitely paying off for us.”
This past season, Alabama’s secondary went from being a young group with a lot of question marks to a real strength.
“Mel does a great job with the kids,” Smart said during his preseason press conference. “He has a great demeanor. Kids really respect him. They know he’s got a lot of NFL experience. So he comes in very confident. He’s worked with Coach Saban before. He knows all of our terminology, understands it. He’s able to relate to the kids and talk to them about it.”
3. Geoff Collins
Collins already has a good gig as Florida’s defensive coordinator, but he was Alabama’s Director of Player Personnel in 2007 and Mario Cristobal’s defensive coordinator at Florida International in 2010.
From there, he went to Mississippi State (2011-14) before McElwain hired him away last year for less money even though he was the Gators’ highest-paid assistant coach at $590,000.
“We think a lot of Geoff Collins. He did a fabulous job here for us,” Saban said last week. “He had a great reputation as being a very good recruiter and he was coming from Georgia Tech. They had very good recruiting there. We brought him in as our head recruiting guy. I know he wanted to coach. We didn't have an opportunity to coach here. He's gone on and done a really good job everywhere he's been, and we have a tremendous amount of respect for him.”
Before facing running back Derrick Henry in the SEC Championship Game last week, Florida was seventh in rushing defense in the Football Bowl Subdivision. It dropped to 17th after he had 189 yards on 44 carries.
The Gators, who will face Michigan in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, are ranked sixth in total defense and eighth in scoring defense.
“They're very physical, very disruptive, very fast on the defensive line,” Henry said. “Athletic linebackers who are very physical and try to knock you out, and a good secondary. So I think it's the best defense that we've faced all year.”
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Christopher Walsh is a lead SEC college football writer. Follow Christopher on Twitter @WritingWalsh.
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