Kane Wommack, a respected head coach and defensive coordinator, was hired by Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer to coordinate the Crimson Tide defense and coach inside linebackers.

Wommack, arrives in Tuscaloosa after three years as the head coach at South Alabama. He posted a 22-17 record with the Jaguars, qualifying for back-to-back bowl games and winning the 2023 Ventures 68 Bowl.

He will be tasked with taking over a defense that returns five startersfrom the No. 16 scoring defense (19.0 ppg) nationally, the No. 18 total defense (316.0 ypg) and No. 14 in sacks (2.79).

Under his leadership, the USA went 7-6 in 2023, winning the first bowl game in program history. The 7-6 record in 2023, combined with a 10-3 finish in 2022, marked the first time in program history that South Alabama put together back-to-back winning seasons as a full FBS participant.

In 2022, the Jags went 10-3 and finished second in the Sun Belt Conference West Division. The ten wins were the most of any South Alabama team during FBS play and tied the school record for wins in a season dating back to the inception of the program. South Alabama had 14 players selected to all-conference teams at the end of the year with La’Damian Webb and Yam Banks earning first-team honors and Banks earning All-American honors.

In his first season at the helm, the Jags finished 5-7 dropping four games by one score or less. The Jags had eight selections to the all-conference teams including Jalen Tolbert earning Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors, before being selected in the third round by the Dallas Cowboys.

Wommack (pronounced WAH-mick), 34 at the time of his hiring and one of the youngest head coaches in college football, became the third head coach since the inception of South’s program and the youngest at the NCAA FBS level.  The Jaguars’ defensive coordinator in 2016 and 2017, he returned to the program after working three years as linebackers coach at Indiana including serving as the Hoosiers’ defensive coordinator his final two seasons.

Wommack was one of five finalists for the Broyles Award in the fall of 2020 after his efforts helped IU post a 6-2 mark overall on the way to finishing 12th in the final Associated Press poll and earning an invitation to the Outback Bowl.

His unit led the Big Ten Conference with both 17 interceptions and a 64 percent red zone defensive rate – ranking first in the country in the latter category and second in the former – while also pacing the league with 20 takeaways and 3.12 sacks per contest.  The Hoosiers also finished 10th nationally in turnover margin (1.00) and were among the top 25 in scoring (20.2 ppg) and passing efficiency (120.96).

Following the season, seven members of the IU defense earned all-Big Ten honors including a school-record four – Jamar Johnson, Jerome Johnson, Micah McFadden and Tiawan Mullen – first-team selections.  Mullen also became the first cornerback in program history to earn first-team All-America honors.

In his first year as the youngest Power 5 defensive coordinator, Wommack led IU to top-50 rankings nationally in scoring, total, rush and pass defense for the first time since 1993.  His efforts helped the Hoosiers hold four opponents to three points or less, the most in one season since limiting five to three or fewer in 1945.

Wommack was the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator and linebackers coach during the 2016 and 2017 campaigns, leading a unit that was among the top 10 in the country in passing defense (174.6 ypg) while allowing over 10 points fewer than the previous season – the fifth-best improvement in the NCAA FBS that fall. In 2017, South was in the top 15 nationally in both red zone defense and fumble recoveries as the Jags recorded 20 takeaways both seasons in Mobile.

Prior to his arrival at South, Wommack was the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Eastern Illinois, where he helped the Panthers make a first-round appearance in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs while finishing in the top 25 of the final national poll in 2015. That fall, EIU’s defense ranked second nationally in interceptions (19), third in takeaways (31), fourth in pass efficiency defense (103.0), eighth in red zone defense (67.3%) and 10th in tackles for loss (98).

Wommack began his coaching career at Tennessee-Martin (2010), went to Jacksonville State (2011) as a graduate assistant and then served as a graduate assistant Ole Miss (2012-13).

He began his collegiate playing career at Arkansas, where he was a fullback in 2005 and 2006, helping the Razorbacks win the Southeastern Conference West Division title his second year.  After transferring to Southern Mississippi, Wommack helped the Golden Eagles to three straight bowl appearances before earning his undergraduate degree in political science in 2009; he began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant while at the school.

He is also a member of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Board of Trustees.

Wommack and his wife Melissa have three sons: Asher, Tatum and Jones.  His father, Dave, had more than 35 years of experience coaching at the collegiate level, including serving as defensive coordinator at Ole Miss before retiring following the 2016 season.