Saban details staff’s duties
For the first time in a decade, Alabama football coach Nick Saban had to replace his offensive and defensive coordinators in the same offseason.
For the first time ever, Saban decided to promote from within to fill both positions.
Saban confirmed Thursday afternoon that Mike Locksley, the Crimson Tide’s co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach last season, is the new offensive coordinator and that
Tosh Lupoi, the co-defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach last year, is the new defensive coordinator. Lupoi will continue to handle outside linebackers.
“We are excited to be able to promote from within to fill our offensive and defensive coordinators positions,” Saban said in a release. “Both Tosh and Michael are tremendous football coaches who will do an excellent job leading their respective units.”
In 2008, Saban hired Fresno State offensive coordinator Jim McElwain to the same role
in Tuscaloosa and promoted Kirby Smart to defensive coordinator.
Saban also confirmed the hires of Dan Enos as quarterbacks coach and Craig Kuligowski as defensive line coach. Enos and Kuligowski each will have the added title of associate head coach.
Enos was Central Michigan’s head coach from 2010 to 2014 before spending the past three seasons as offensive coordinator at Arkansas, while Kuligowski spent the past two years under Mark Richt at Miami after spending the previous 15 seasons under Gary Pinkel at Missouri.
Alabama’s full-time staff now is Locksley, Enos, receivers coach and co-offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, running backs coach Joe Pannunzio, tight ends and special teams coach Jeff Banks, offensive line coach Brent Key, Lupoi, Kuligowski, inside linebackers and co-defensive coordinator Pete Golding and secondary coach Karl Scott.
Key is the lone Crimson Tide assistant who has the exact same role from last season, when the program won its fifth national championship in nine years.
Pannunzio, the tight ends coach and special teams coordinator for Alabama last season, replaces Burton Burns as running backs coach. Burns was the lone assistant coach to work for Saban each of the past 11 seasons but now will be an assistant athletic director for football.
Burns not only was a part of the five national title teams but helped produce the only Heisman Trophy winners in program history — Mark Ingram in 2009 and Derrick Henry in 2015.
“Burton has been a crucial part of our success over the past 11 years and has done an outstanding job with our running backs,” Saban said. “He is an essential member of our staff as he takes on a new challenge.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.