Report: Kevin Steele accepts job as Alabama's next defensive coordinator

Kevin Steele has accepted the defensive coordinator job at Alabama, according to a report from ESPN’s Chris Low. Steele was the defensive coordinator at Miami this past season.

A 39-year coaching veteran, Steele has a long resume with a ton of SEC experience. Alabama, Auburn, and LSU have all had Steele as their defensive coordinator at one point or another. That includes two different stints in Tuscaloosa during Saban’s tenure (2007-08 and 2013-14), being there for a total of four years.

Steele replaces Pete Golding, who left this offseason to become the defensive coordinator at Ole Miss. He takes over an Alabama defense that finished 10th in scoring defense (18.2 points allowed per game) and 13th in total defense (318.2 yards allowed) in 2022.

Miami finished 5-7 this past year in Mario Cristobal’s inaugural season. The Hurricanes defense struggled under Steele’s direction, finishing 13th in the ACC with 5.9 yards allowed per play. Cristobal will now have to replace both of his coordinators in his seconds season after he fired OC Josh Gattis last month.

Steele was the first defensive coordinator that Nick Saban hired after taking over as the Crimson Tide’s head coach. He helped Alabama to a Sugar Bowl appearance in 2008 before leaving to join Dabo Swinney’s first staff at Clemson in 2009. There Kevin Steele remained for the next three seasons before returning to Alabama in 2013 as the director of player personnel.

Steele also has experience as a head coach at Baylor from 1999-2002. The Bears were 9-36 overall and 1-31 in Big 12 games under Steele’s direction, resulting in his firing in the middle of his fourth season.

The news that Steele will join Saban’s staff comes two days after the Crimson Tide hired Tommy Rees as their offensive coordinator. With both positions now filled, Alabama can focus on bouncing back in 2023 after missing out on the College Football Playoff this past season.