Alabama expected to add Wisconsin Co-DC to defensive staff, per report
Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer is expected to hire Wisconsin co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Colin Hitschler as an assistant coach, per ESPN senior writer Pete Thamel.
Hitschler joined the Wisconsin staff last season after five seasons at Cincinnati. He was also the Bearcats’ co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach during the 2022 season. He started his tenure in Cincinnati in defensive quality control before moving up to a senior defensive analyst and then safeties coach in 2020. Hitschler held that post for three years.
Alabama faced the Cincinnati defense that Hitschler helped coach in the 2021 College Football Playoff. The Bearcats ranked No. 2 nationally in passing defense (169.2), No. 3 in interceptions (19) and No. 4 in opponent completion percentage (54.0). Bryan Cook was a first-team All-AAC selection and went on to be the 62nd pick by the Kansas City Chiefs.
Hitschler, a Philadelphia native, came to Cincinnati after three years at South Alabama. He was with new Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack in Mobile for two seasons, coaching the Jaguars’ safeties in 2017. Hitschler got his start as a college coach at the FBS level in 2013 as a graduate assistant at Arkansas State. He was also a GA at USA in 2014.
Prior to being a grad assistant, Hitschler was the special teams coordinator at defensive backs coach at Widener in Pennsylvania. The Pride went 11-1 that season. In 2011, he served as the co-special teams coordinator and defensive line coach at Salve Regina in Rhode Island. His first two coaching gigs were in the NFL – Eagles in 2009 and Chiefs in 2010.
Hitschler is the fourth defensive coach set to join DeBoer’s staff at Alabama. Tide defensive line coach Freddie Roach was retained by the new coach, while Wommack was added as defensive coordinator and Maurice Linguist will serve as the co-defensive coordinator and coach defensive backs. Hitschler and Linguist could split up the secondary responsibilities.
Expected members of DeBoer’s staff
OFFENSE
Ryan Grubb, OC/QB coach (Washington)
JaMarcus Shephard, WR coach (Washington)
Scott Huff, OL coach (Washington)
Nick Sheridan, TE coach (Washington)
Robert Gillespie, RB coach (Alabama)
DEFENSE
Kane Wommack, DC (South Alabama)
Freddie Roach, DL coach (Alabama)
Maurice Linguist, Co-DC/DB coach (Buffalo)
Colin Hitschler, TBD (Wisconsin)
Stay tuned to BamaOnLine as DeBoer looks to fill out the rest of his Alabama coaching staff.
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