Report: Alabama could hire surprising defensive coach

One of Nick Saban’s annual tasks is to rebuild his coaching staff after it gets raided. Each year, many of Saban’s assistants get job promotion offers elsewhere, which leaves the head coach needing to fill vacancies. He often does so by hiring overqualified coaches who have recently lost high-profile jobs but are willing to work at Alabama to rebuild their resume.

Todd Grantham could be the latest coach to join Saban’s staff, according to a report.

Football Scoop’s John Brice reported on Thursday that Grantham has received multiple job offers recently but is likely to join Bama’s coaching staff.

Grantham joining Alabama would be surprising for a few reasons.

One, Grantham just coached at Florida, which had been in competition with Alabama in the SEC. Two, and more importantly, Grantham is coming off a poor season that saw him get fired. Florida had allowed 49 points to LSU; 34 points to Georgia; and 40 points to South Carolina during a 3-game stretch that ultimately resulted in Grantham’s firing.

Even though he’s coming off a poor season with the Gators, Saban and others may be enticed by Grantham’s previous history. The 55-year-old had success as Mississippi State’s defensive coordinator in 2017 and did well in his first two seasons at Florida before the team slipped in 2020 and 2021.

Photo: Sep 28, 2019; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators defensive coordinator Todd Grantham prior to the game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports