Nick Saban has turned his assistant coaching staff into a place for head coach reclamation projects.
Over the years, former head coaches such as Bill O’Brien, Lane Kiffin, Doug Marrone, and Ken Whisenhunt have joined his Alabama staff in the hopes of rebuilding their reputations and possibly finding success once more on their own.
Saban’s latest reclamation project appears to be former Louisville, Texas, and South Florida coach Charlie Strong.
“Alabama has hired former Texas coach Charlie Strong as a defensive analyst,” tweeted SI’s Ross Dellenger on Wednesday.
Alabama has hired former Texas coach Charlie Strong as a defensive analyst, sources tell @SInow. Strong worked at Miami in a similar role last season under now-Bama DC Kevin Steele.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) March 1, 2023
Strong will follow new Alabama defensive coordinator Kevin Steele from Miami. Steele was the Hurricanes’ defensive coordinator while Strong was co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach last season.
This is actually Strong’s 2nd stint with Saban and Alabama, having previously served as an analyst for the Tide in 2020. He left in 2021 to join Urban Meyer’s staff with the Jacksonville Jaguars, a situation that didn’t last very long.
Strong is 74-53 in his career as a head coach, taking his teams to seven bowl games across 10 seasons.
It’s a good bet that Alabama’s defense will be a juggernaut next season so the chances are good that Strong will be able to once again parlay his good fortune into another move up the ladder. But will the former head coach get another shot at that role down the line? Only time will tell.
