Sal Sunseri Moving to Off-The-Field Coaching Role with Alabama

The former outside linebackers coach will now serve as a special assistant to the head coach for the Crimson Tide.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Sal Sunseri’s football wisdom will be used in a different way this coming season.

Alabama announced the hiring of three new assistants Wednesday, including Coleman Hutzler, who will coach the outside linebacker unit previously run by Sunseri. During Nick Saban’s National Signing Day press conference later in the day, the head coach clarified the coaching change, stating that Sunseri will now be moving to an off-the-field role next season.

“Sal is going to be a special assistant to the head coach, for me,” Saban. “I think there’s a lot of things going on in college football, the landscape has changed dramatically. You guys all know that. Whether it’s the portal, having people on top of the portal, you almost need a staff of people just like you have a staff of people for recruiting to find out who the best players in high schools are. You also have to have people responsible to do evaluations in terms of who’s getting in the portal. And also tracking how guys that get in the portal actually do.”

Sunseri, 62, has been coaching Alabama’s outside linebackers unit since the 2019 season. He’s in his second stint with the Crimson Tide after previously serving as the linebackers coach from 2009-11. After spending the past 37 years on the sidelines, he’ll look to utilize his football knowledge to help Saban navigate college football’s new landscape.

This offseason, Alabama added three players from the transfer portal in Georgia receiver Jermaine Burton, Georgia Tech running back Jahmyr Gibbs and LSU cornerback Eli Ricks. The Crimson Tide also saw 12 scholarship players from last year’s team enter the transfer portal.

“I think it’s a little bit of a fad right now to think that I get in the portal and all my issues and problems are gonna be solved,” Saban said. “But yet it’d be interesting to see how many people really benefit in a positive way from taking advantage of the opportunity to get in the portal, and we’re gonna track those kinds of things and Sal’s gonna be involved in a lot of those things. But he’s gonna be a special assistant to me, aight, to help me in a lot of ways in the changing landscape of college football.”

In addition to Hutzler, who will also serve as the special teams coordinator, Alabama also announced the hires of cornerbacks coach Travaris Robinson and offensive line coach Eric Wolford.