Alabama Makes Coaching Move After Disappointing Season
The Alabama Crimson Tide are fresh off their first season under head coach Kalen DeBoer. After a historic run from head coach Nick Saban, who led the program to six national titles from 2007 to 2023, DeBoer was handed the keys to the SEC powerhouse.
Alabama finished the 2024 season with a 9-4 record and a 5-3 mark in SEC play. While they successfully defeated a few ranked opponents, such as No. 2 Georgia, No. 15 LSU and No. 21 Missouri, the Crimson Tide had clear questions to answer after the season.
Following a disappointing year, Alabama made a coaching move that should significantly impact the defense. The Crimson Tide announced the hiring of assistant defensive backs coach Jason Jones. “Welcome back to Tuscaloosa,” posted Alabama.
The move from the Crimson Tide comes weeks after the firing of defensive backs coach Colin Hitschler, who spent one year with the program.
Jones joins defensive coordinator Kane Wommack in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. When asked about the opportunity to return to the Crimson Tide, where Jones won an SEC championship as a player in 1999, he coined Alabama as a “special place.”
“Tuscaloosa is a special place to me,” Jones said, per Colin Gay at Tuscaloosa News. “My family is here, a lot of friends are here. The University of Alabama is special to me. That’s why I got started in coaching, you know? And so this is where I played, and got a chance to get started and introduced to coaching here. And now you got a chance to come back … it’s great.
Jones began his coaching career with the Crimson Tide as a graduate assistant under head coach Mike Shula from 2003 to 2004.
He has since served as a coaching staff member, most notably in a defensive backs role with Tulsa, Rice, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, FAU and Indiana.
Nate Oats Makes Comparison to Former Alabama Head Coach
On Tuesday, Alabama was embarrassed at home by No. 21 Ole Miss 74-64 in a game that Crimson Tide fans will remember as one of the most disappointing results in the Nate Oats era.
Just midway through January, Oats, and company have plenty of time to turn their offense around, which has been abnormally distant from the offense Oats usually trots out.
However, Oats still believes his team will figure it out and he referenced a former Alabama legend in what could help turn things around.
“We’ve got the luxury of watching the greatest to ever do it here, Coach Saban and a lot of his championship teams lost one early,” Oats said. “It did give us a wake-up call.” Oats’ squad will have little time to rest on their laurels as the Crimson Tide head to Lexington Saturday morning for a matchup with No. 8 Kentucky. Rupp Arena will not be friendly to the visiting Alabama team.
On Tuesday, the Crimson Tide finished with more turnovers, 21, than field goals made, 20. With the turnover margin so stark, the Rebels attempted 23 more shots while also holding Alabama to just three offensive rebounds.
The Crimson Tide grabbed 23 offensive boards against Texas A&M. With the loaded SEC, Alabama will have to find a way to pull itself off the mat if it wants to compete at the top of the conference. Just last week, Tennessee lost by 30 points at Florida before having to rebound and defeat Texas and Georgia. The Crimson Tide will need to have a similar mindset to compete on Saturday.
