Alabama Defensive Coordinator Kane Wommack Couldn't Turn Down Opportunity To Coach at the Capstone
The Alabama football program kicked off spring football this week as Kalen DeBoer kicks off a new era for the Crimson Tide. DeBoer was thrust into the unenviable position of replacing legendary head football coach Nick Saban almost two months ago and one of his first responsibilities quickly became rebuilding the Alabama coaching staff.
DeBoer brought several coaches with him from Washington as he and the Huskies just went to the national championship game, but he also dipped into the Group of 5 head coaching pool to find two of his key defensive coaches.
Kane Wommack and Maurice Linguist both left head coaching positions to take roles on DeBoer's new Alabama coaching staff. Wommack was just a few hours away, leading the South Alabama Jaguars and Linguist was in charge at Buffalo in the MAC.
Wommack detailed his decision to leave his head coaching role and take on the coordinator position at The Capstone as he met with the media after the Crimson Tide's second spring practice on Wednesday.
"Yeah, you know, growing up in the south my dad was a longtime defensive coordinator all over the SEC. I played in the SEC. Have always had tremendous respect for Alabama. I think there's a standard that's been set here, certainly in the last 17 years with Coach Saban, but certainly before that. Somebody gave me a pair of shoes the other day and it had 18 and 31 on it and I didn't know what that meant, and now I do. Those are the things that when you look at what this place is, there's a standard here that in college football is respected across the board and you want to be a part of those things. To do that with Kalen DeBoer is something truly special," said Wommack. "For any of you that knew my time at South Alabama or know what I think about Mobile, Alabama I absolutely adore that city. I love that university. I love that football team and what we were building there. This was an opportunity I wasn't going to turn down."
Wommack's South Alabama Jaguars finished No. 15 in the nation in 2023, allowing just 313 yards per game. The Alabama defense returns experience at all three levels in 2024, can the leaders learn Wommack's system and produce a championship-winning unit?
