Alabama

Meet Alabama football’s new offensive staff after latest changes

Published

2 years ago

February 25, 2024

Meet Alabama football’s new offensive staff after latest changes

It’s been a tumultuous offseason for Alabama football in general, but the offensive coaching staff has been particularly shaken. When Kalen DeBoer took over for Nick Saban, he initially brought offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb with him, along with offensive line coach Scott Huff.

Then, the NFL came calling. Both Grubb and Huff left for jobs with the Seattle Seahawks, prompting more shakeup in Tuscaloosa. DeBoer got back to work, finishing out his on-field staff for the 2024 campaign, barring further defections.

Here’s what to know about each member of the offensive on-field coaching staff.

Nick Sheridan

After coming with DeBoer to serve as Alabama’s tight ends coach, Sheridan got a promotion. After the departure of Grubb, the Crimson Tide announced he will be offensive coordinator for the 2024 season, as well as quarterbacks coach.

“It is a tremendous opportunity to join coach DeBoer at Alabama,” Sheridan said in a UA release. “I look forward to working with this offensive staff to develop a plan each week to put our team in a position to be successful. There is an unmatched legacy at Alabama, and I understand the importance of upholding that standard while developing our players.”

Sheridan has offensive coordinator experience, having taken the OC job at Indiana over from DeBoer when the latter got the head coach spot at Fresno State. He served in the role for two seasons in Bloomington.

After that, he went to coach tight ends for the Huskies under DeBoer. Sheridan’s other coaching stops included Tennessee, Western Kentucky and South Florida.

Sheridan played his college football at Michigan, as a quarterback for the Wolverines from 2006-2010.

JaMarcus Shephard

Another coach who came over from Washington, Shephard also picked up a title change after Grubb left. He’s now the wide receivers coach for the Tide, as well as assistant head coach and co-offensive coordinator.

“I have a passion for coaching and developing our football players both on and off the field,” Shephard said in the UA release. “The chance to help coach DeBoer continue the standard at Alabama is something I take a lot of pride in working to accomplish. This is a special place, and I am excited about the opportunities that are in front of us.”

Shephard led an exceptional receiving core with the Huskies. Rome Odunze especially was one of the best in college football, collecting 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns on 92 catches last season.

He previously coached under Jeff Brohm at Purdue. Shephard also worked at Western Kentucky and Washington State.

He played wide receiver at DePauw University.

Robert Gillespie

DeBoer hung on to two members of Nick Saban’s coaching staff. One was Freddie Roach, who coaches the defensive line, the other is Gillespie, who is in charge of the Crimson Tide’s running backs.

“After meeting both of these guys, it was very clear to me that keeping Freddie and G as part of the staff was going to be important to our success,” DeBoer said in a press release announcing the retentions. “These guys have great relationships with our players, are outstanding recruiters and have proven to be some of the best coaches in the country.”

Gillespie arrived in Tuscaloosa before the 2021 season. He received a promotion from DeBoer, to assistant head coach.

His prior coaching stops include North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia. He played running back at Florida before a brief NFL career for Washington.

Chris Kapilovic

With Huff’s departure, DeBoer needed to fill the offensive line coach role. He looked to Chris Kapilovic, who joined up after a brief tenure at Baylor.

The school hasn’t made the hire official yet. However, Kapilovic updated his social media with his new position at Alabama.

Kapilovic was announced as Baylor’s new offensive line coach in December. He spent the previous four seasons coaching the same position at Michigan State.

He brings offensive coordinator experience to the role, having done that job at North Carolina before going to Michigan State. Previous coaching stops include Southern Miss, Missouri State and Alabama State.

Bryan Ellis

With Sheridan’s move up to offensive coordinator, DeBoer moved to fill the tight ends coach job. He found his man at Georgia Southern, where Ellis had been working as the Eagles’ offensive coordinator.

Like Kapilovic, the Crimson Tide hasn’t announced the hire yet, but Ellis changed his social media bio and handle to reflect his role at UA. He spent two seasons at GS before coming to Tuscaloosa, working under head coach Clay Helton.

Before joining the Eagles, Ellis worked in various roles at Western Kentucky during two stints in Bowling Green, including a season as WKU’s offensive coordinator. He also coached at USC during Helton’s time there, coaching QBs in his final season with the Trojans.

Ellis might be familiar to fans around Alabama, having played quarterback at UAB from 2007-2011. He started his college coaching career as a graduate assistant for the Blazers.

Source link

Click to comment

Alabama

Woodrow Lowe, Alabama Star Linebacker and 11-Year Chargers Defender, Dies at 71

Published

4 hours ago

November 7, 2025

Press Room

Woodrow Lowe, Alabama Star Linebacker and 11-Year Chargers Defender, Dies at 71

Woodrow Lowe, a three-time All-American linebacker at Alabama and an 11-year starter for the NFL’s San Diego Chargers, has died. He was 71.

Lowe died at his home in Collierville, Tennessee, on Thursday, according to the National Football Foundation.

Lowe was a 2009 National Football Foundation Hall of Fame inductee. He starred at Alabama (1972-75) and was the second player in program history to make the first-team All-America list three times. He helped the Crimson Tide make the Sugar Bowl in 1973, losing to eventual national champion Notre Dame, and was a consensus All-America selection the following year.

“Woodrow Lowe was one of the finest linebackers ever to play the game, and we are deeply saddened to learn of his passing,” NFF Chairman Archie Manning said. “A three-time All-American and one of the most decorated linebackers in college football history, he defined excellence at one of the top programs in the country.

“After his playing days, he dedicated himself to shaping young lives as a coach and mentor, carrying forward the lessons of excellence and dedication that defined his own career. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and the entire Alabama football community.”

Born June 9, 1954, in Columbus, Georgia, Lowe got his football start at Phenix City Central High in Alabama. He stayed in state for college and set a single-season record at Alabama with 134 tackles in 1973. The Tide went 43-5 during his four seasons in Tuscaloosa, and his 315 career tackles still rank fourth in school history.

A fifth-round draft pick by the Chargers in 1976, Lowe played in 164 of 165 possible games during his NFL career and tallied 21 interceptions, including four returned for touchdowns.

He coached at the high school, college, and professional levels before retiring in Tennessee. Lowe also was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, the Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame and the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Source link

Alabama

Quilts of Valor brings comfort to Alabama veterans

Published

22 hours ago

November 6, 2025

Press Room

Quilts of Valor brings comfort to Alabama veterans

Quilts are warm. Quilts are comfortable. Quilts tell a story, spark memories and stand as works of art. But perhaps the greatest function a quilt can have is to bring peace and comfort to those who defend this nation. That’s the belief behind Quilts of Valor, an organization that started with a mother wanting to comfort

Source link

Alabama

Alabama Trending Towards Securing Commitment from Elite Recruit

Published

2 days ago

November 6, 2025

Press Room

Alabama Trending Towards Securing Commitment from Elite Recruit

Nothing is set in stone just yet, but it’s looking like Alabama is going to build on its trenches.

According to On3 / Rivals’ National Recruiting Reporter Sam Spiegelman, the Crimson Tide are trending toward receiving a commitment from four-star 2027 interior offensive lineman Ismael Camara.

Should Alabama nab the talented recruit out of Gilmer, TX, it would be the second high-ranked interior lineman of the 2027 class.

Earlier this season, the Crimson Tide had secured a commitment from Jatori Williams, the four-star lineman out of Phenix City, AL, and one who is the fifth ranked player at his position in the country.

Camara spoke with Spiegelman and revealed that he, along with 20 other recruits will be in Tuscaloosa for the LSU game – a game that holds such importance.

Not only that, he spoke on the relationship that he holds with offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic, and how that relationship resonates with him.

“Coach Kap told me two things when we first talked — he has the best job in the world and that all the things he wants from his players are passion, a good attitude, maximum effort, being a good teammate, being prepared and available, and being coachable. That requires zero talent.”

He then went on to say how much the persistence in maintaining that relationship is something that he will always hold onto.

“I appreciate him investing in me like that, and I am trying to get better to live up to the standard at ‘Bama.”

The “Standard” is a real thing, and it’s not something that the brass take lightly. Nick Saban spent 17 seasons implementing a culture of greatness and players that have the dog in them to be great.

So Kalen DeBoer and his staff don’t want to lose sight of it. It may have been in question for a little, but for the time being, what you’re seeing is what you’re getting.

But the “Standard” is something that means a lot to Camara too, and it’s what has set apart Alabama from other schools.

“When we got into the facility and saw all the nattys, the SEC championships and Heisman Trophies, I really had the butterflies,” Camara said. “The way they treated each other and the way they treated me — it was not just an honor for me to be there, it was an honor for them to be there. They practiced like that. They operated like that. They hung together like that. That was when I really started to understand what makes Alabama ‘Bama,’”

Aside from it being a big game on the schedule, it’s a big game for the coaches take make sure the people they’re bringing in for the future know that the staff’s future is just the beginning for these young men.

Source link