BREAKING Alabama Expected To Hire Derrick Nix as New WR Coach

[arthurdawg]

I think the Nix hire is smart. He's apparently a good recruiter and he's been around a lot of SEC football.

And, as someone said, if he can help our WRs OR RBs, it'll be worth it! Some fresh eyes on either position group (as well as the OL) won't hurt!

And if it helps persuade a player or two from AU to portal over to T-town, that's gravy!!!

Yes... Sounds like he has a good knowledge base. And if he knows RBs, maybe can help brainstorm on the running game.

 

[NoNC4Tubs]

Yes... Sounds like he has a good knowledge base. And if he knows RBs, maybe can help brainstorm on the running game.

Yeah, not sure if the running game problems resides in that room...

 

[CrimsonTitles]

This is clearly a recruiting hire. WRs are DeBoer's thing, so he might help pick up some of the slack there if needed. Saban would do that with the DBs. I like the hire.

 

[arthurdawg]

Yeah, not sure if the running game problems resides in that room...

He can point that the OL's job is to block. They are not bull fighters!

 

[JDCrimson]

He was likely going to be back at OM or LSU. The strategic hire for recruiting as much as anything.

 

[cdub55]

I really don’t care for this move unless it’s a long term hire via a Chess Move.

Nix is a RB Coach who played RB

He coached RBs for a Decade at OM.

When Lane took over he brought his RB coach from FAU but retained Nix for Recruiting and just moved him to WR Coach.

He worked his way up to AHC/WR and then AU hired him as the OC/RB coach.

So the only way this makes sense is if CKD intends to ultimately have Nix Coach RBs or mold him into an OC.

Nix is not really a WR Coach.

We NEED a real WR Coach… Badly.

This is either going to be a 4D Chess Move or more Checkers.

99% of coaches are hired to recruit nowadays. A lot of guys can teach technique, some better than others but colleges have chose to go the recruiter route. The philosophy is would you rather have Joe Smo coaching Calvin Johnson or the second coming of Nick Saban coaching Billy Slowfeet?

 

[tusks_n_raider]

99% of coaches are hired to recruit nowadays. A lot of guys can teach technique, some better than others but colleges have chose to go the recruiter route. The philosophy is would you rather have Joe Smo coaching Calvin Johnson or the second coming of Nick Saban coaching Billy Slowfeet?

I’d rather have a solid position coach coaching in his area of expertise.

I’d be happy for Nix to coach our RBs and a true WR Coach then coach our WRs.

Germie is our best WR and the only one to have at least 50 Recs the last two seasons.

Our Top 4 WRs all have 1,000 yard receiving potential that is being pretty much wasted.

The unit has quite frankly been underperforming since 2021.

We have talent already but are getting sub par coaching.

 

[BamaMike05]

I’d rather have a solid position coach coaching in his area of expertise.

I’d be happy for Nix to coach our RBs and a true WR Coach then coach our WRs.

Germie is our best WR and the only one to have at least 50 Recs the last two seasons.

Our Top 4 WRs all have 1,000 yard receiving potential that is being pretty much wasted.

The unit has quite frankly been underperforming since 2021.

We have talent already but are getting sub par coaching.

You are speaking as if he has never coached WR's before though. He coached WR's for 4 years at Ole Miss. You are getting way too caught up in what position he played. If you really know offense you can coach it all. I am not saying I would want him coaching our OL because that is way more nuanced. But you are reading way too much into what position he played in college. Kirby Smart moved to our ILB coach after we hired Jeremy Pruitt, and he played DB in college.

I will also push back on you saying that our WR's are poorly coached. Coach Shephard is one of the best WR coaches in the country. 1) Just look at how good the WR core was at UW under him 2) Germie Bernard is arguably our best WR, and guess who he played under for 3 years?

 

[tusks_n_raider]

You are speaking as if he has never coached WR's before though. He coached WR's for 4 years at Ole Miss. You are getting way too caught up in what position he played. If you really know offense you can coach it all. I am not saying I would want him coaching our OL because that is way more nuanced. But you are reading way too much into what position he played in college. Kirby Smart moved to our ILB coach after we hired Jeremy Pruitt, and he played DB in college.

I will also pish back on you saying that our WR's are poorly coached. Coach Shephard is one of the best WR coaches in the country. 1) Just look at how good the WR core was at UW under him 2) Germie Bernard is arguably our best WR, and guess who he played under for 3 years?

He coached WR’s at OM solely because Lane wanted to retain him for his recruiting ability.

A RB knows how to run only a few routes really and a bit about catching the ball (from the backfield) and some perimeter blocking.

But he’s not going to have high level experience running WR routes or knowing in application how to get off a physical CB coverage.

He might understand the White Board X’s and O’s and he might understand how to teach some techniques but that’s still not the same as having experienced it as a player and being able to translate it to another.

If he were an expert at WR he would have played WR.

To me this is a recruiting move or a long term move just to get Nix on staff to either coach RB’s or to be molded into a future OC.

He’s not going to take a raw WR out of HS and make him a Biletnikoff candidate and he probably can’t fix RWs either.

 

[NoNC4Tubs]

Nice. This was exactly my intent

This may not be the Forum that you are looking for...

 

[BamaMoon]

I’d rather have a solid position coach coaching in his area of expertise.

I’d be happy for Nix to coach our RBs and a true WR Coach then coach our WRs.

Germie is our best WR and the only one to have at least 50 Recs the last two seasons.

Our Top 4 WRs all have 1,000 yard receiving potential that is being pretty much wasted.

The unit has quite frankly been underperforming since 2021.

We have talent already but are getting sub par coaching.

As somebody already pointed out a day or two ago when this first broke. Right now the only "open" position coaching spot is WR.

Nix does have some experience coaching that position.

But, we don't know is IF this might be a temporary "plug and play" until the season ends and some other "shake ups" happen, which might open the RB coach position.

 

[BamaMike05]

He coached WR’s at OM solely because Lane wanted to retain him for his recruiting ability.

A RB knows how to run only a few routes really and a bit about catching the ball (from the backfield) and some perimeter blocking.

But he’s not going to have high level experience running WR routes or knowing in application how to get off a physical CB coverage.

He might understand the White Board X’s and O’s and he might understand how to teach some techniques but that’s still not the same as having experienced it as a player and being able to translate it to another.

If he were an expert at WR he would have played WR.

To me this is a recruiting move or a long term move just to get Nix on staff to either coach RB’s or to be molded into a future OC.

He’s not going to take a raw WR out of HS and make him a Biletnikoff candidate and he probably can’t fix RWs either.

How do you know what he knows and what he doesn’t? Things are learned. Coaches study things and learn themselves. There is zero way that you can definitively say what he can do and what he can’t do. Again, Kirby Smart never played ILB but he was a dang good ILB coach. This is just an incredibly short-sided view and quite the assumption.

 

[BamaMoon]

And I think the lack of production lately in our WR core is due to Ty's struggles/health AND/OR OL/RB issues.

To borrow from the Apostle Paul's analogy from 1 Corinthians 12, a football team does not consist of one position but many. But if one position doesn't do its part, the rest of the team misses it. If all were a single position, where would the team be? As it is, there are many positions, but one team.

 

[tusks_n_raider]

As somebody already pointed out a day or two ago when this first broke. Right now the only "open" position coaching spot is WR.

Nix does have some experience coaching that position.

But, we don't know is IF this might be a temporary "plug and play" until the season ends and some other "shake ups" happen, which might open the RB coach position.

I understand.

I’m happy to have him on staff overall if for nothing else his recruiting ability and RB coaching ability.

He’s got a good reputation and if you can get him on staff you do it.

The only point I’m making is this isn’t a solution at WR.

 

[Ledsteplin]

Our coaches are smarter than I am about coaching hires. I'll leave to them to do whatever is needed for the team.

 

[CrimsonTitles]

You are speaking as if he has never coached WR's before though. He coached WR's for 4 years at Ole Miss. You are getting way too caught up in what position he played. If you really know offense you can coach it all. I am not saying I would want him coaching our OL because that is way more nuanced. But you are reading way too much into what position he played in college. Kirby Smart moved to our ILB coach after we hired Jeremy Pruitt, and he played DB in college.

I will also pish back on you saying that our WR's are poorly coached. Coach Shephard is one of the best WR coaches in the country. 1) Just look at how good the WR core was at UW under him 2) Germie Bernard is arguably our best WR, and guess who he played under for 3 years?

I think the injuries at that position have been drastically understated, and that's why people are saying this kind of stuff. I really think Ryan Williams is about to go off tonight, so that narrative may change very quickly.

 

[BamaMoon]

I think the injuries at that position have been drastically understated, and that's why people are saying this kind of stuff. I really think Ryan Williams is about to go off tonight, so that narrative may change very quickly.

I saw a post on X by a Bama reporter (can't remember who) and he said against Georgia the injuries were grossly understated. Basically, he listed 8 positions that starters were missing at. That's over 1/3 of our starters out. No wonder we looked so depleted!

 

[AlexanderFan]

Well that’s pretty much just a veiled insult.

I can’t work with that.

If you care to expound in more detail why you disagree then maybe we can debate it with some civility.

Two years of the underperforming is due to quarterback issues. 2021? Didn’t Bryce Young throw for 8,000 yards 21-22 and 79 touchdowns.

 

[tusks_n_raider]

Two years of the underperforming is due to quarterback issues. 2021? Didn’t Bryce Young throw for 8,000 yards 21-22 and 79 touchdowns.

I meant since/after 2021.

‘22-now our WR play has steadily been worse.

It’s not 100% been just a WR unit issue but they aren’t blameless either.

We are sloppy route runners compared to past groups and especially the last 3 seasons.

CBs just manhandle our WRs now.

 

[CrimsonTitles]

I saw a post on X by a Bama reporter (can't remember who) and he said against Georgia the injuries were grossly understated. Basically, he listed 8 positions that starters were missing at. That's over 1/3 of our starters out. No wonder we looked so depleted!

And that's just the ones that were listed! I know Germie was banged up, and I know Ryan has been banged up all year, but I think was healthier in that game and he did show up a little in the 1st half. I think in the second half we were just so decimated that we just folded. There's only so much you can handle when you're missing that many players.