By Matt Stahl
Alabama football made two defensive coaching staff hires official on Monday. The Crimson Tide announced that Maurice Linguist and Colin Hitschler are joining Kalen DeBoer’s staff.
The two new hires will share the same title, as co-defensive coordinators and defensive backs coaches.
“We are excited to have Maurice and Colin join our staff at Alabama,” DeBoer said in a press release. “Maurice brings both head coaching experience and an established record of success coaching defensive backs. Colin boasts a wealth of knowledge and experience, has a reputation for developing the skill sets of the players he coaches and is an excellent tactician. They are both proven recruiters and outstanding teachers.”
Linguist joined the Crimson Tide, leaving behind a head coach job at Buffalo. The Bulls went 7-6 in 2023, finishing the year with a win in the Camellia Bowl.
He comes to Alabama with SEC experience, having coached cornerbacks at Texas A&M and safeties at Mississippi State. His other coaching stops include Minnesota, Iowa State and the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, where he was coaching cornerbacks before getting the Buffalo job in 2020.
“I have always had an incredible admiration for Alabama’s long history of success,” Linguist said in the release. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to help Coach DeBoer continue that winning tradition, while developing our players both on and off the field.”
Hitschler joins the Tide from Wisconsin. He spent one season as a safeties coach with the Badgers, also holding a co-DC title in Madison.
He spent five seasons at Cincinnati before following Luke Fickell to Wisconsin. Before that, he worked at South Alabama for four years.
“I have worked in this state, and I understand the importance of Alabama football and its winning tradition,” Hitschler said. “I am excited to have the chance to continue to uphold the Alabama standard while helping the young men in this program to become the best versions of themselves.”
