Report: Defensive Assistants Maurice Linguist, Colin Hitschler Officially Join Staff

New Alabama Crimson Tide head football coach Kalen DeBoer announced on Monday that defensive assistants Maurice Linguist and Colin Hitschler have officially joined the staff, per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg.

"Alabama has named Maurice Linguist and Colin Hitschler as co-defensive coordinators and defensive backs coaches," Rittenberg writes. "They officially join a staff led by DC Kane Wommack."

Linguist served as the head coach at Buffalo for three years, posting a record of 14-23 during his time up north and winning the 2022 Camelia Bowl in his lone postseason appearance.

Prior to his time at Buffalo, Linguist, 39, served as the defensive backs coach for the Dallas Cowboys in 2020, Texas A&M in 2018-19, Minnesota in 2017, Mississippi State in 2016 and more. He will now serve a similar role on DeBoer's staff. Linguist's experience goes back to when he himself was in pads as the Dallas, Texas native played football at Baylor as a safety.

His past three seasons with the Buffalo Bulls was his first head coaching experience and first time officially given more than a defensive back role.

Hitschler spent the last season at Wisconsin under Luke Fickell after working for him at Cincinnati from 2018 to 2022, working his way up from a defensive analyst to co-defensive coordinator. Alabama faced Hitschler's defense in the 2021 College Football Playoff. That season, the Bearcats ranked fifth nationally in scoring defense (16.5) and No. 10 in total defense (318.4 yards per game.)

He worked with new Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack at South Alabama from 2016-2017. He also began as a defensive analyst with the Jaguars before eventually being promoted to safeties coach.

Hitschler began his coaching career in the NFL as a training camp assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009 before moving on to working for the Kansas City Chiefs in player personnel in 2010.