Alabama Football Hires New Wide Receivers Coach

The Alabama football program is making an addition to the coaching staff as Matt Zenitz reports the Crimson Tide is moving to replace wide receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard with former Auburn interim offensive coordinator Derrick Nix.

Nix is from Attalla, Ala. and played football at Southern Miss before getting into coaching. He's been with the Auburn Tigers since 2024, serving as running backs coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator after the firing of Hugh Freeze this season. Nix coached wide receivers at Ole Miss from 2020-2023 after spending nearly a decade coaching running backs in Oxford.

He has a strong relationship with Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack, as detailed by Wommack in the week leading to the Iron Bowl. Nix coached Wommack at Southern Miss in 2007 when he served as running backs coach, and Wommack played fullback.

"I think the world of Derek Nix and glad that he's getting an opportunity to call (Auburn's offense)," Wommack said. "I know he's waited a long time to do that. I've known him since I was probably seven, eight years old. Got great family ties. My sister actually was a surrogate for him and his wife and carried their daughter, Ava. And so just really happy for Derek, and he's doing a great job. I mean, you can tell a noticeable difference. And some of the things they're doing, from an execution standpoint, they're playing within the framework of what their players can do. They're getting the ball to their playmakers and and creating some explosive plays both in the run and pass game."

Nix replaces Shephard, who was recently hired as Oregon State's head coach. He coached NFL receivers in Jonathan Mingo and Elijah Moore during his time at Ole Miss and worked with Cam Coleman, Perry Thompson, and Malcolm Simmons during his time at Auburn.

He earned two-time First Team All Conference USA honors at Southern Miss, was named to the Conference USA team of the decade in 2006, and was inducted into the University of Southern Mississippi Alumni Association Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. Nix was the only player in Conference USA history to rush for over 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons.

He took over play-calling duties for the Auburn Tigers and oversaw an offense that averaged 507 yards and 42.3 points in the season's final three games with four receivers posting 100 or more receiving yards under his watch.