Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer has elevated his former defensive coordinator Chuck Morrell to inside linebackers coach, according to the Alabama Athletics staff directory. Morrell served as special assistant to the head coach this past season.
As a result, defensive coordinator Kane Wommack, who doubled as the inside linebackers coach, will only serve as a coordinator in 2025 overseeing the defense. That move is also reflected in the school directory.
These moves coincide with multiple reports on Friday that safeties coach Colin Hitschler will not be retained on staff. With Morrell’s promotion and Wommack’s shift in role, cornerbacks coach Maurice Linguist is in line to oversee the entire secondary. These moves keep Alabama at 10 full-time assistant coaches.
DeBoer and Morrell have extensive history together. The two were teammates at Sioux Falls and coached together from 2000 to ’09. Morrell joined DeBoer at Fresno State as his safeties coach from 2020 to ’21, then served as Washington’s defensive coordinator from 2022 to ’23 before following DeBoer to Alabama in an off-field role.
With the NCAA rule change allowing off-field staffers to coach on the field, Morrell worked extensively with the inside linebackers as far back as spring practice. Now he will coach that position full-time, taking over a room that lost Jihaad Campbell to the NFL Draft on Thursday but signed Colorado transfer linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green and is expecting senior Justin Jefferson to return for one more season.
(Photo: Gary Cosby Jr. / Imagn Images)
