Alabama expected to hire Liberty ILB coach Robert Bala to same role
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama has found its next inside linebackers coach. On Saturday morning, Pete Thamel of ESPN broke the news that the Crimson Tide were zeroing in on Liberty inside linebackers coach Robert Bala for the same role.
That hire is expected to become official soon.
Hopefully, this one sticks around awhile. Former Southern Miss defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong was originally hired to replace the departed Pete Golding as Alabama’s inside linebackers coach, but he left less than two weeks after the hiring to take the defensive coordinator position under Billy Napier at Florida.
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Bala wasn’t Liberty’s inside linebackers coach long either. He spent the 2022 season as a defensive analyst with the Flames after four seasons at Southern Utah. From 2018-19, he was the cornerbacks coach, but then in 2020, he was elevated to defensive coordinator while also coaching the safeties. In 2021, he continued his role as the defensive play-caller, but moved over to the inside linebackers.
Here’s Bala’s entire coaching history:
- 2023 – Liberty (LB)
- 2022 – Liberty (Defensive Analyst)
- 2021 – Southern Utah (DC/LB)
- 2020 – Southern Utah (DC/S)
- 2019 – Southern Utah (Co-ST/CB)
- 2018 – Southern Utah (CB)
- 2017-18 – Ottawa University Arizona (ST/S)
- 2016 – Palomar College (Co-DC/CB)
- 2015 – Palomar College (CB)
- 2014 – Oakland Raiders (LB/ST Intern)
- 2011-14 – Palomar College (LB)
- 2009-10 – Snow College (LB)
Stay tuned as BamaInsider dives more into the hire. In the meantime, head on over to the Talk of Champions message board to join in on the coaching conversation.
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