How an Alabama assistant is using his previous time at Auburn to prepare for the Iron Bowl

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The majority of the Alabama staff this season, specifically head coach Kalen DeBoer, has never coached in the Iron Bowl before.

This will be a new experience for many of Alabama’s coaches, being thrust into one of the best rivalries the sport has to offer for the very first time. Two of Alabama’s assistants, running backs coach Robert Gillespie and defensive line coach Freddie Roach, were at Alabama under Nick Saban and have coached in this game before, but there’s one coach on this staff that has an incredibly unique experience in this rivalry.

Outside linebackers coach Christian Robinson isn’t coaching in his first Iron Bowl, but he is coaching in his first Iron Bowl while wearing crimson. He was the linebackers coach at Auburn during the 2022 season, and knows what this rivalry is about.

“A lot of these young men were recruiting by both schools, they’ve got friends at both schools,” Robinson said. “Obviously, at the end of the year, what it means for everybody’s season. Any rivalry game, but especially this one, they understand the implications and the importance to them and the pride they have of playing any game, but what this one means in the state as well.”

Robinson’s one year at Auburn was fairly tumultuous. He was hired by head coach Bryan Harsin, who was later fired midseason as Cadillac Williams took over as the interim head coach of his alma mater. Williams was serving as the interim by the time the Iron Bowl rolled around, a game Alabama won 49-27 in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

“Cadillac Williams was the head coach at that point in the season,” Robinson said. “It was great to be around him and see him lead the place that he played at. As a former college football player that’s a point of pride for him. There’s obviously a lot of emotion around this game every year. I know, I recruited Qua Russaw when I was at Auburn, and James Smith. So there’s so much around this game in terms of the relationships, not only the people on the field but the people off the field as well.”

Both Russaw and Smith were highly-touted in-state players from Montgomery that were considering both Alabama and Auburn late into their recruiting processes. Both of course chose Alabama, but had an established relationship with Robinson when he arrived because of his efforts recruiting them both to Auburn.

Robinson is still familiar with a number of players at Auburn that he coached, including many of the Tigers’ stacked running back room.

“Jarquez [Hunter], Damari [Alston], Jeremiah [Cobb], those are guys that I recruited. Not Jarquez, but just being on the team with him. They’re great people, but they’re really good football players. I think this is the best backfield we will face all year,” Robinson said. “Knowing those kids personally, they’re built that way, and I’ve vocalized that to our guys. These are great people and they play the game the way it’s supposed to be played, you’ve got to play to a certain level anytime you’re playing someone like that.”

Knowing the opponent is something that has aided Robinson in preparing his players to play in this game, not to have some kind of inside track on the type of plays they’ll run, but to understand them from a mental and psychological perspective.

“To me, I think anytime you have an understanding of the opponent, who they are, how they tick, the type of things that you observed, I think it paints a clear picture of what to expect,” Robinson said. “When you recruited kids, you kind of know their demeanor. It could be something that you educate guys on. … I think it’s painting a picture of what you’re about to face, making sure your mind is in the right place.”

Robinson knows how special this rivalry is, and will get to witness another chapter on a different sideline come Saturday night.

“I’m excited about the opportunity for our guys to go play,” Robinson said. “There’s a lot of really good people over there that I spent a lot of days with, so there’s a lot of meaning with that. But they also know the job of what you’re trying to go do on Saturday. I’m excited to be in this environment, I think it’s going to be a great environment, and our players are as well. I think it’s going to be a great spectacle of college football, and we obviously want to go and end up on the right side of it and in the right way.”