Former Alabama co-DC Colin Hitschler to be hired as James Madison defensive coordinator

Former Alabama co-defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler is set to be hired as the defensive coordinator for the JMU Dukes, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. He was the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach in 2024 for the Tide. Before joining Alabama, he was the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach for the Wisconsin Badgers and the Cincinnati Bearcats.

On January 3rd, 2025, he was relieved of his duties with the Crimson Tide.

Hitschler went to school at the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 2010. He’s bounced around in a number of roles over the years with a number of different teams, both college and pros. In 2009, his coaching career began with the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2010, he did some work with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Outside of Wisconsin and Alabama, Hitschler also worked with the Cincinnati Bearcats, South Alabama, and Arkansas State. His stint with the Bearcats was the longest of those three, working there from 2018-2022. He served as a quality control coach, safety coach, and their co-defensive coordinator.

The Alabama defense this year was pretty solid, but their defensive backs struggled, and head coach Kalen DeBoer decided to make a change in early January. Maurice Linguist took over both of Hitschler’s roles with Alabama. JMU has been a program on the rise for quite some time, so it’s a pretty desirable landing spot. The Dukes went 8-3 in 2022 with Curt Cignetti at the helm. They followed that up with an 11-2 campaign in 2023 that gained both Cignetti and the Dukes national recognition. In 2024, Bob Chesney guided JMU to an impressive 9-4 overall record, culminating in the program’s first ever bowl win at the 2024 Boca Raton Bowl.

Before joining the Division I-A level, JMU was known as a powerhouse program in the Division I-AA ranks. They won two national championships, one in 2004 and one in 2016. Their program made 18 playoff appearances in the Division I-AA playoffs, finishing with an overall record of 24-16 in the playoffs.

James Madison has bounced around conferences over the years, but more recently, when they were on the Division I-AA level (otherwise known as FCS), they played in the CAA from 2007-2021. From 2022 until now, they’ve played in the Sun Belt Conference on the Division I-A (otherwise known as FBS) level.