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.