Kalen DeBoer believes Kane Wommack is 'really good at seeing the big picture'

Alabama head football coach Kalen DeBoer has been busy getting acquainted with his new roster and his new stable of coaches in Tuscaloosa. We’re only a few more weeks away from fall camp, when the official ramp up to the 2024 college football season will begin. DeBoer decided to peg Kane Wommack as his defensive coordinator for the Tide and recently at SEC Media Days in Dallas, he broke down what makes him such a great coach.

“I think, again, every coordinator, every coach has their ways of doing things. Doesn’t make one thing right or wrong. But I think also what I’ve seen with Kane, when we worked together in 2019, he understands all the concepts and I think it’s more about not just what you have in. We probably have — we will have many of the same things in and the ability to do it. It’s just more about what is your personnel good at,” DeBoer explained.

One of Wommack’s biggest strengths is “seeing the big picture.”

“We already talked about some of the youth areas and not that you’re protecting guys or anything like that, but you’ve got to play to your strengths and that will continue to evolve over the course of the season. But I think Kane is really good at seeing the big picture, understanding how to use what he has within his system, what he wants it to look like but also be able to tweak things based on who we have on the football field,” DeBoer finished.

Kane Wommack has had a number of different stints as a defensive coordinator over the years, working at Eastern Illinois (2014-2015), South Alabama (2016-2017), and Indiana (2019-2020). He’ll have the task of taking over a Crimson Tide defense that returns five starters from the No. 16 scoring defense (19.0 ppg) in the nation. The unit also ranked No. 18 in total defense (316.0 yards per game allowed) and No. 14 in sacks (2.79 per game).

Wommack was one of five finalists for the Broyles Award–given to the nation’s top assistant, in the fall of 2020. He helped guide Indiana to a 6-2 mark overall and a No. 12 finish in the AP poll. Under his guidance, the Hoosiers defense led the Big Ten with 17 interceptions. They also led the league with 20 takeaways and averaged 3.12 sacks per game.

Wommack will have some elite prospects to work with in Tuscaloosa. One of the most coveted prizes in the 2024 cycle was Clay-Chalkville’s Jaylen Mbawke (Pinson, Alabama). He earned a lofty five-star+ ranking, checking in as the No. 16 overall player in America according to the On3 Industry Rankings. He’s oozing with jaw-dropping potential, and many expect him to make an instant impact at corner this fall.