The Alabama Crimson Tide have just completed their first season under head coach Kalen DeBoer. Following a legendary tenure from former head coach Nick Saban, who guided the team to six national championships from 2007 to 2023, DeBoer took over the reins of the SEC powerhouse. In the 2024 season, Alabama finished with a 9-4 record, including a 5-3 mark in SEC play.
While they secured victories against several ranked teams, such as No. 2 Georgia, No. 15 LSU, and No. 21 Missouri, there were clear areas of concern that emerged. After a less-than-ideal year, Alabama made a coaching change aimed at bolstering their defense. The team announced the hiring of Jason Jones, who will serve as the assistant defensive backs coach. “Welcome back to Tuscaloosa,” the team shared in a post.
This hiring follows the dismissal of defensive backs coach Colin Hitschler, who spent just one season with the program. Jones will work alongside defensive coordinator Kane Wommack in Tuscaloosa. Reflecting on his return to Alabama, where he won an SEC championship as a player in 1999, Jones called the university a “special place.” “Tuscaloosa is a special place to me,” Jones shared with Colin Gay of Tuscaloosa News. “My family is here, a lot of friends are here. The University of Alabama is special to me. That’s why I got started in coaching, you know? And so this is where I played, and got a chance to get started and introduced to coaching here. And now you got a chance to come back … it’s great.”
Jones’ coaching career began at Alabama as a graduate assistant under head coach Mike Shula from 2003 to 2004. He has since built a notable coaching resume, primarily in defensive backs roles at Tulsa, Rice, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, FAU, and Indiana.