The season isn’t even over yet, but the annual Alabama Crimson Tide coaching staff purge has already begun. That is the gift and the curse of Nick Saban’s greatness. He elevates coaches and gets the absolute most out of them just to have opposing schools come in and snipe his hires.
The first member of the 2023 Crimson Tide staff to depart will be OLB and Special Teams coach Coleman Hutzler as Mississippi State is currently in the process of finalizing Hutlzer as their new defensive coordinator. Hopefully, Coleman is the only one we lose, but that’s just never how it goes.
It has been a difficult year in Starkville after the passing of Mike Leach on Dec. 12, 2022 and they are yet to find stability in the program. After Leach’s passing, the Bulldogs promoted DC Zach Arnett to become the programs 35th coach. Arnett was ultimately fired after a 4-6 start this season so the Bulldogs will be rolling into 2024 as a brand new regime.
Mississippi State hired Oklahoma OC Jeff Lebby as their next head coach earlier in the week to help turn the program around. Hutzler is one of the first hires Lebby has made, and it is a massive one at that. People around the Alabama program speak and think very highly of Hutzler so it’s a loss that I’m sure stings Saban a bit.
Mississippi State is finalizing the hire of Alabama OLB coach/special teams coordinator Coleman Hutzler as defensive coordinator, sources tell @YahooSports.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) December 6, 2023
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