Alabama Finalizing Deal to Hire Louisville Assistant as New Tight Ends Coach

Louisville offensive line coach Richard Owens will take over for Bryan Ellis, who became the Crimson Tide's quarterbacks coach earlier this offseason.

University of Louisville offensive line coach Richard Owens runs a drill during their second practice on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024 at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. | Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Alabama is finalizing a deal to hire Louisville offensive line coach Richard Owens as its next tight ends coach, per 247 Sports' Matt Zenitz.

Owens will take over for Bryan Ellis, who became the Crimson Tide's quarterbacks coach earlier this offseason. Ellis is filling in for Nick Sheridan, who took the offensive coordinator job at Michigan State on Dec. 20, 2025.

Owens was Louisville's offensive line coach from 2023 up until this deal. Owens' alma mater is with the Cardinals, as he played tight end there from 1999-2003.

He wasn't selected in the 2004 NFL Draft, but played for the Minnesota Vikings (2004-06), the then-St. Louis Rams (2007) and the New York Jets (2009). Owens appeared in 53 games between 2004-09 with seven starts, totaling 17 receptions for 141 yards and one touchdown.

After playing football, Owens got into coaching as a graduate assistant at Arkansas State from 2010-11. He then became UAB's tight ends coach in 2012 before moving to the Blazers' offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach the following season. However, he went back to the role he knows best as UAB's tight ends coach in 2014.

Owens held that same title at South Alabama in 2015, but then became the Jaguars' offensive line coach for the next two seasons. He returned to Louisville as the tight ends coach in 2018 and then proceeded to spend the next three years as UAB's offensive line coach. Owens was Georgia Southern's offensive line coach and run game coordinator and in 2022 before taking his current position with the Cardinals.

Owens will mentor the following tight ends for Alabama in 2026:

• Danny Lewis Jr., redshirt senior
• Jack Sammarco, junior
• Jay Lindsey, redshirt sophomore
• Josh Ford, redshirt sophomore- Oklahoma State transfer
• Kaleb Edwards, sophomore
• Marshall Pritchett, sophomore
• Mack Sutter, freshman

Edwards is all but certainly Alabama's starting tight end for 2026. He's filling the role of Josh Cuevas, who exhausted his collegiate eligibility this past season.

"He's adjusted very efficiently," Cuevas said of Edwards on Oct. 31. "I'm super proud of him for that. We put a lot on him and he takes it with grace. It's just something that comes naturally to him as a football player. Just kind of getting this offense going and going out there and doing it. He's one of those guys where, if you tell him one thing, he'll go out and do it better.

"Just trying to see where he's at, and him getting playing time on the field is great for him. Especially being a younger guy just catching the pace of the game and knowing what it takes to win a football game in the SEC. That experience is invaluable."

Alabama's 2026 Coaching Staff:

Head Coach: Kalen DeBoer
Offensive Coordinator: Ryan Grubb
Defensive Coordinator: Kane Wommack
Co-DC/Defensive Backs: Maurice Linguist
Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Line: Freddie Roach
Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs: Robert Gillespie
Quarterbacks: Bryan Ellis
Wide Receivers: Derrick Nix
Offensive Line: Adrian Klemm
Tight Ends: Richard Owens
Outside Linebackers: Christian Robinson
Defensive Backs: Jason Jones
Linebackers: Chuck Morrell
Special Teams: Jay Nunez

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