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Kevin Steele might only be a placeholder DC for Alabama

ByCody Williams|
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 17: Defensive coordinator Kevin Steele looks on prior to the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field on September 17, 2022 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images)
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 17: Defensive coordinator Kevin Steele looks on prior to the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field on September 17, 2022 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images)

Nick Saban has hired Kevin Steele as the next Alabama defensive coordinator, but one report suggests he could merely be a placeholder for the Tide.Ā 

When both coordinator jobs opened up for the Alabama Crimson Tide, fans were immediately dreaming about the staff that Nick Saban could assemble. But now that Tommy Rees and Kevin Steele have been hired to fill the offensive and defensive coordinator roles, respectively, some have viewed the end result as a bit of a disappointment.

Itā€™s truly impossible to say if thatā€™s the case with both new coaches having been on staff for less time than a spirited Phish guitar solo. With that being said, in the case of Steele, a rumor surfaced on Monday suggesting that Alabama fans may not have to worry about him Ā in Tuscaloosa for too long.

According to Tide Illustrated managing editor TonyĀ Tsoukalas, former Crimson Tide defensive coordinator and Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt was a consultant in Bamaā€™s process to hire Steele. More notably, though, Tsoukalas noted that Pruitt is considered the ā€œlong-term replacement for Steele at DCā€.

Alabama football: Jeremy Pruitt is rumored ā€˜long-term replacementā€™ for Kevin Steele

In all honesty, the Steele hire makes a great deal more sense with this information attached to it. Pruitt was one of the favorites to replace Pete Golding but, obviously, that didnā€™t happen. And the trepidation about hiring Pruitt in the defensive coordinator search resulted from the ongoing NCAA investigation into his time at Tennessee and numerous violations.

That isnā€™t going away. However, if Pruitt was who Saban wanted to lead the defense moving forward, it stands to reason given this report that Alabama would simply wait for the heat to die down on Pruitt, hire Steele as a placeholder, then make the move to Pruitt when the time is right.

Is that a formality? Thereā€™s no way of knowing that. But based on this rumor about Pruitt and given his reported involvement in hiring Steele, it does seem that Alabama has more irons in the fire regarding the DC position beyond just their most recent hire.

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