Hiring season is here, and demand for Alabama football coaches can be expected | Goodbread

Forget rumors about Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer being courted by one of the major programs currently looking to fill a vacancy.

Not to say there won’t be inquiries, but if there’s going to be a winter raid on the Crimson Tide coaching staff, it’s more likely going to target its coordinators. The likes of Penn State, Florida and LSU might be looking for more of a head coaching track record than UA offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, or defensive coordinator Kane Wommack, can offer. Grubb has none, and Wommack spent three seasons running the show at South Alabama. But it’s going to be a wild, wide-open market for coaches in the coming weeks, and as big jobs get filled, the trickle-down effect opens still more jobs at programs that might not be powerhouses, but are nevertheless attractive to top coordinators.

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Grubb and Wommack have earned the attention.

Grubb has proven to be innovative, daring and timely as a play caller in his first season with Alabama. He knows how to attack defensive weaknesses, he’s largely unpredictable and penalties have been few. Grubb’s offense is versatile, moving easily between modern and old-school formations, with just enough plays with the quarterback under center to keep defenses honest. Perhaps most importantly, he’s taken a first-year starter in quarterback Ty Simpson and helped mold him into one of the top passers in the SEC. He’s not the quarterback coach – that’s Nick Sheridan – but Grubb has had a major hand in Simpson’s development. That Alabama has failed to run the ball with any consistency falls somewhat on Grubb, as well. But he’s countered that problem with enough effectiveness in the short passing game to overcome on the scoreboard. Throw in his background in coaching offensive linemen, which doesn’t hurt in an interview for a head coaching job, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s tapped to lead his own program elsewhere in 2026. Heck, Washington's Jedd Fisch is said to be attracting suitors, and if the UW job opens, the Huskies could do worse than bringing back the OC who took them to a CFP final.

If a raise is needed to keep him around, DeBoer should do what it takes to make it happen.

Wommack might not be quite as hot a commodity as Grubb on the coaching market; athletic directors find offensive coordinators, in general, more attractive than their defensive counterparts. But the improvement that Alabama's defense has made under Wommack, both from 2024 to this year, and from September to present moment, is undeniable. You'd be hard-pressed to find him on a vacancy hot-board today, but give this hiring cycle a few weeks to rumble through the FBS, and the candidate pool will grow exponentially.

When the hires start flying, the South Florida job is a good bet to come open. Same with the Tulane job, the Memphis job, and plenty of others.

All sorts of phones will be ringing.

And demand for DeBoer's staff will be stronger than it was a year ago.

Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23. Reach him at [email protected]. Follow on X.com @chasegoodbread.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: It's hiring season, and demand for Alabama football coaches is coming