Alabama fans hate the Kevin Steele hire as rivals celebrate Nick Saban’s dud
Alabama football fans are not exactly feeling the hiring of Kevin Steele as defensive coordinator but their rivals definitely are on board.
Nick Saban has found his new defensive coordinator by looking to his past. It’s Kevin Steele, his first DC at Alabama who has spent time with the Crimson Tide in multiple stints.
Steele is leaving Miami to become Saban’s DC once more. Not everyone is happy about that.
Many Alabama fans bemoaned the hire as a disappointment and disaster. When you’ve been dreaming of Jeremy Pruitt, Steele doesn’t look like a particularly inspired hire.
Alabama football fans are questioning the Kevin Steele hire
Kevin Steele is the new defensive coordinator at #Alabama. #RollTide pic.twitter.com/phoI0nZPP0
— Message Board Geniuses (@BoardGeniuses) February 6, 2023
“Kevin Steele announced as Alabama’s Defensive Coordin-“pic.twitter.com/MfkGTq4Sva
— Nick Perkins (@NPerkins96) February 5, 2023
Me outside Greg Byrne’s office to show him Kevin Steele film to show him how bad this is about to be
— Riley (@Ri_S_OB) February 5, 2023
pic.twitter.com/v5p7pJzau5
Kevin Steele? Really pic.twitter.com/mYYtzwOClY
— Myva Gyna (@TideorDieChick) February 6, 2023
Bama hires Kevin Steele at DC 🥳 pic.twitter.com/i9C5fYfyyd
— Courtney McKinney (@CourtAnne1225) February 6, 2023
Kevin Steele? You’re kidding me, right?
— Tanner Hallman (@tlhallman) February 5, 2023
While Alabama fans let out their feelings of disappointment over the Steele hire, rival fans from Auburn, Georgia, Clemson and elsewhere enjoyed some laughs at the Tide’s expense.
Last time Kevin Steele was the DC at Alabama under Saban,
— Auburn Memes (@AuburnMemes) February 5, 2023
Really excited for the future there 🙌 pic.twitter.com/yFSJZc4LlC
The Coup d'état of Kevin Steele & the Bama boosters to overthrow Saban is what I’m most excited for.
— Auburn Memes (@AuburnMemes) February 5, 2023
It’s cool that Bama has recruiting to brag about because that on the field product and program trajectory is circling the drain. Kevin Steele. LMAO.
— Lance (@SportsGuyLance) February 6, 2023
So, uh
— Sam Trilliard (@ChrisLTurner) February 5, 2023
Nick’s counter move to UGA’s on top two years in a row is
Tommy Rees
And Kevin Steele
Genuinely asking…
— Graham Coffey (@GrahamCoffeyDC) February 5, 2023
Are Tommy Rees & Kevin Steele actually an upgrade from Golding & O’Brien?
Tommy Rees and Kevin Steele supposed to bring Bama back ? pic.twitter.com/eIIQYJS3ym
— 👤👣 (@CaliCardo) February 6, 2023
People were really saying Saban was going to assemble the avengers after watching UGA dominate the past two years… and he went out and hired Tommy Rees and Kevin Steele 💀
— Ricky Smith (@ClemsonRicky) February 5, 2023
AND Kevin Steele? I mean he’s a good defensive mind but damn what a snake in the grass.
— Austin McBarner (@austinmcbarner) February 6, 2023
Is it my birthday or something?
The proof will have to be in the pudding on Steele, along with his offensive coordinator counterpart Tommy Rees.
Saban is going in two directions with these coordinator hires. Rees is young and somewhat unproven. The Tide are banking on him having greater success than in his Notre Dame days with more talent available to him. Meanwhile, Steele has been coaching longer than Rees has been alive. He has experience at multiple SEC programs.
Steele’s work at Miami this past season wasn’t the most encouraging. His defense averaged 26.8 points per game allowed, ranking 10th in the ACC. The Hurricanes allowed 5.92 yards per play, 13th in the conference.
However, his time at Auburn was encouraging. He took over a defense that had allowed 26 points per game the year before and immediately improved them to 17.1 points per game in 2016. He maintained an average of under 20 points allowed through 2019. His final season with the Tigers in 2020 was a step back at 24.7 points allowed per game.
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