Kevin Steele admits he did not see 'shocking' call from Nick Saban coming

This offseason, Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban had to replace both of his coordinators. On the defensive side of the ball, that meant bringing in Kevin Steele.

As Steele admitted at Alabama Football Media Day, he was shocked to get the call from Saban.

“Well, Shocking,” Steele said of the call. “I did not see it coming. It was not something I expected. But obviously when you get a chance to coach at the University of Alabama for the best coach that’s ever done it, sometimes you look in the mirror and say, ‘Why me?’ But I’m very blessed to be here. You couldn’t ask for anything better.”

Kevin Steele has had multiple stints on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama during his career. It’s an experience he clearly enjoys and after his most recent stint at Miami, he was excited to return to Alabama.

“If you’re going to coach college football, to coach at the University of Alabama for Coach Saban, that’s what you wanna do.”

Later, while speaking to the media, Kevin Steele emphasized how special of a place he thinks the University of Alabama is in college sports.

“Obviously excited to be back at Alabama,” Steele said. “It’s a very, very special place for a lot of reasons. But the commitment to excellence that touches on a daily basis, no matter what it is, it’s unparalleled. And so it’s exciting to be back. As far as defense, we all know this: we have arguably – to some people but not to me – the best defensive mind that I’ve ever been around in the building. So the scheme of how we do things and go about things is Coach Saban, and we obviously help every way we can in that. But we are who we are.”

Kevin Steele replaces Pete Golding, who left for the same job at Ole Miss.

Deontae Lawson says Kevin Steele is emphasizing turnovers

Last season, Alabama struggled to force turnovers on defense. This season, Kevin Steele is trying to change that and, as linebacker Deontae Lawson explained, is trying to emphasize the importance of the ball and details this offseason.

“Really just, the ball, generate more turnovers, which will lead to points,” Deontae Lawson said. “Really the same thing but the little things. It’s all about the little things. So, that’s what we’re trying to work on.”

In 2022, Alabama was ranked just 105th in turnovers gained, forcing just 14 turnovers all season long.