New Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer is on the verge of hiring a second sitting head coach to his staff, as Buffalo head coach Maurice Linguist is expected to join the Crimson Tide as a defensive assistant, a person with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed to The Athletic. ESPN first reported the news.
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Linguist spent the past three years at Buffalo compiling a 14-23 record, highlighted by a 7-6 season and Camellia Bowl win in 2022. The move comes right after DeBoer hired South Alabama head coach Kane Wommack to be Alabama’s defensive coordinator.
Linguist is a Dallas native and a Baylor alum with deep recruiting ties in the state. He was Texas A&M’s cornerbacks coach in 2018 and ’19 and spent 2020 as the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive backs coach. He has also coached at Mississippi State, Minnesota, Iowa State and Baylor, where he played safety.
Alabama’s defensive staff now includes Wommack, Linguist and defensive line coach Freddie Roach.
What does Linguist’s hire mean for Alabama?
Even though Linguist’s position isn’t yet specified, it’s likely that Linguist will man the Alabama defensive backs — every role he’s served in prior to becoming Buffalo’s head coach involved coaching defensive backs. Solidifying that position is a particularly high priority for Alabama, which has seen several defensive backs enter the transfer portal since Nick Saban’s retirement. Linguist’s regional ties continues the trend that DeBoer has established for his defensive staff, and his NFL experience is an added bonus. Alabama’s on-field coaching staff is nearly complete, with just two vacancies remaining: outside linebacker and special teams coordinator.
Overall, it appears that DeBoer sought continuity within his offensive staff, bringing in his entire Washington staff on that side of the ball, with the exception of running backs coach (where Robert Gillespie was retained). On the defensive side, DeBoer is targeting young, experienced coaches with Southern ties. — Kennington Smith III, Alabama beat writer
Kalen DeBoer’s on-field staff hires at Alabama
| Position | Coach | 2023 job |
|---|---|---|
Offensive coordinator | Ryan Grubb | |
Running backs | Robert Gillespie | |
Wide receivers | JaMarcus Shephard | |
Tight ends | Nick Sheridan | |
Offensive line | Scott Huff | |
Defensive coordinator | Kane Wommack | |
Defensive line | Freddie Roach | |
Defensive backs | Maurice Linguist |
What now for Buffalo?
It’s the second time in four years that the Bulls have to find a new head coach at a difficult time on the calendar. In 2021, Lance Leipold left for the Kansas job at the end of April, leading to an atypical search. It should be easier this time around, but mid-January is not ideal.
Buffalo won two division titles under Leipold, so this is a place that can win. The school also typically has the largest athletics budget in the MAC. But recruiting is a challenge, and the new era of college football makes it difficult for MAC programs to hold on to top players.
This also marks the second consecutive offseason in which a MAC head coach has taken a Power 4 assistant job, after Sean Lewis left Kent State for the Colorado offensive coordinator job last year. — Chris Vannini, national college football writer
(Photo: John Fisher / Getty Images)