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.
Advertisement
“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.
Advertisement
“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.
Advertisement
“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.
Advertisement
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.
Advertisement
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.
Alabama football fans are invited to a preseason pep rally Aug. 4 at the Tuscaloosa River Market.
The pep rally is part of the annual fall kickoff event hosted by the Tuscaloosa County chapter of the University of Alabama National Alumni Association.
The family friendly event will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the River Market, 1900 Jack Warner Parkway. Tickets, which include a barbecue dinner, cost $30 for adults and $15 for children ages 8 to 12. Children 7 years old and younger will be admitted for free.
Advertisement
The pep rally will feature live entertainment, a silent auction and a range of family-friendly activities. There will also be a cash bar with wine and beer.
Tickets can be purchased on the chapter’s website, tuscaloosacountyuaalumni.com. Membership in the local alumni chapter is not required for attendance.
More: Retired general to lead new University of Alabama school
University of Alabama President Peter Mohler and UA baseball coach Rob Vaughn will be part of the festivities.
Advertisement
Mohler began his duties as UA president on July 21, 2025.
Before being named UA president, Mohler spent nearly 15 years at Ohio State University, where he held senior leadership roles overseeing research, innovation and economic development. He also served as OSU’s acting president, providing leadership during a pivotal period for one of the nation’s largest public universities.
Mohler earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Wake Forest University and a PhD in cell and molecular physiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Duke University Medical Center before joining the faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Advertisement
Vaughn has been UA’s head baseball coach for three years, leading the Crimson Tide to the College Baseball World Series in 2026.
The Humble, Texas, native served as head baseball coach at Maryland for five seasons before coming to Tuscaloosa.
Vaughn played collegiate baseball at Kansas State, where his position was catcher.
Alabama begins the 2026 football season on Sept. 5 with a home game against the East Carolina Pirates. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Advertisement
Other Alabama home games include Florida State on Sept. 19, South Carolina on Sept. 26, Georgia on Oct. 10, Texas A&M on Oct. 24, Chattanooga on Nov. 21 and Auburn on Nov. 28.
Reach Ken Roberts at ken.roberts@tuscaloosanews.com. To support his work, please subscribe to The Tuscaloosa News.
The Alabama teen charged in a heinous knife attack on his parents in their sleepy private community hissed that he was “gonna kill” his dad as he allegedly stabbed him — as new photos show the blood-soaked front porch where his butchered mom died.
The grisly scene unfolded on home surveillance footage Sunday night along Augustine Drive in the handsome Belforest complex — which captured the 17-year-old threatening his father, while allegedly knifing him.
“You can hear both of them coming out of the house, and there’s like one scream from the mom,” neighbor Shawn Scurry, 51, told The Post Wednesday.
“Then the dad is arguing with the [son] — and when I say arguing, I mean like, ‘Why are you doing this?’
Advertisement
“He’s basically saying, ‘I don’t want to die. Please stop. No.’ And then he’s repeating, ‘Somebody help me, please, help me’ very loudly,” Scurry said of the clip.
Samantha Baker (left) was allegedly stabbed to death by her 17-year-old son — as her husband, Lance Baker (right), begged the boy to stop the sickening attack. Facebook/Lance Samantha Baker
At one point, the audio captures the son “telling [the dad] he was gonna kill him.”
“Those words are in the video,” she said.
Meanwhile, a large pool of blood stained the front entrance of a neighbor’s home where cops say 37-year-old Samantha Baker was butchered around 9 p.m. Sunday.
Another haunting image exclusively obtained by The Post shows blood splattered and smeared across a glass window overlooking the spot where Samantha was found dead.
Advertisement
The bloodbath began after Samantha and her 46-year-old husband Lance Baker got into a heated argument with their 17-year-old son over a disciplinary issue inside their family home, Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office Captain Justin Correa told The Post Wednesday.
That’s when the boy — whose name is being withheld by police — turned a kitchen knife on his parents, allegedly stabbing them both “multiple times,” according to Correa.
A large pool of blood stained the front entrance of the Belforest community home in Baldwin County, where cops say Samantha Baker was found dead from multiple stab wounds Sunday night. Obtained by NY PostAnother haunting video clip exclusively obtained by The Post shows blood splattered and smeared across a glass window overlooking the spot where Samantha was found dead. Obtained by NY Post
The parents fled outside in a desperate bid to escape — but the attack continued.
Lance’s spine-chilling screams could be heard as he ran door to door down the block, leaving bloodied handprints on neighbors’ front doors while seeking help — with his son right on his tail, according to the traumatized neighbor.
“It was like fighting off a bee that keeps stinging you,” Scurry said, and claimed that another neighbor’s surveillance camera captured the teen repeatedly stabbing his father outside another nearby home.
Advertisement
Correa confirmed that doorbell camera footage of the assault had been handed over to police, and said at least “a few” of the neighbors were not home when Lance was looking for help.
Lance only “went to doors where people were on vacation — that’s why they didn’t answer, and that’s why he was becoming helpless,” Scurry claimed.
Scurry, who was home at the time, only became slightly aware of the horror unfolding when she spotted the Bakers’ dog wandering around her front door.
“I walked with the dog back to their house, rang their doorbell. Nobody answered, and I went around to the garage,” she recalled.
Advertisement
That’s when she heard cries in the distance.
“I heard … ‘Help me.’ I couldn’t find where it was coming from,” Scurry said, adding that she went back into her home after that.
The bloodbath began after Samantha and Lance got into a heated argument with the knife-wielding son over a disciplinary issue, according to authorities. Facebook/Lance Samantha Baker
The teen eventually retreated to his family’s home and called 911, said authorities, who described the attack as an isolated domestic matter.
Cops arrested him at the home without incident, according to Correa, who pushed back on reports that the alleged killer barricaded himself inside the house.
As emergency crews flooded their typically quiet street, Scurry said she stepped outside again and saw Samantha’s body before the coroner arrived.
Advertisement
“I saw her face down with stab wounds all over her back,” the shaken neighbor said.
Samantha, a realtor, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Lance, a US Army Reserve Battalion Commander with the 1184th Deployment and Distribution Support Battalion in Mobile, was flown to a local hospital in critical condition, according to cops.
Nest camera footage from a neighboring home allegedly captured chilling audio of Samantha’s final moments — along with Lance’s frantic pleas for the teen to drop the knife. Obtained by NY Post
As of Wednesday, the father of two was still in the hospital, where his condition had become stable, Correa said.
The teen, who will be tried as an adult, is facing charges of murder and attempted murder. He is being held in jail on a $1 million bond after his arraignment on Monday.
Advertisement
The family’s younger teen son was not at the home at the time of the attack, police said.
Jan 8, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Tony Brown (2) against the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2018 CFP national championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Mac Jones joined “Bussin With The Boys” and was asked who his craziest teammate ever was, and he went back to his Alabama days to highlight Tony Brown.
Brown is a former Alabama cornerback.
“There’s this guy, Tony Brown,” Jones said. “I don’t know if you guys know him. Look him up on there. His name’s Crazy Tony, but he was a stud at Alabama. He played on that defense with like Daron Payne, like all those guys, Minka (Fitzpatrick), everybody. He played in the league for a little bit. He was the man, like scout team, me and him. Every day, like going at it, like pretty much fighting. He was just crazy, dude. I’d throw a dig route over the middle, and he would just crush our scout team receiver. Like, Mac Hereford… he would go over the middle and Crazy Tony would just crush him. Saban would just look the other way. I’m like, dude, he just got smoked. Like, what are we doing? It’s like same thing, fighting at practice and stuff. But he was a great teammate. He just had his thing on the field where it was like he just blacked out. It wasn’t because he was a bad guy or anything. That’s what he does. He goes and knocks people out.”
Advertisement
Brown played for Alabama from 2014 to 2017, and he was a part of two National Championship teams. He finished his career at Alabama with 89 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and three interceptions before moving on to the NFL.
Justin Smith is the Managing Editor and Lead Writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with over 10 years of writing experience & expertise. Smith has consistently delivered high quality, extensively researched information on the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team that fans can trust. Smith is official credentialed media with the University of Alabama under Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He is also the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Enterprises, specializing in scouting and analyzing high school recruits around the nation, specifically focusing on recruits within the state of Alabama.