Mobile, Ala. – Opinions on who Alabama football coach Nick Saban should hire as his next defensive coordinator aren’t hard to find.
However, few of them are as knowledgeable as Shaun Dion Hamilton for playing in a Saban defense. He’s been part of some of the Crimson Tide’s most dominant defense units, and he knows a lot about the guy many fans are hoping Saban will turn to for the job: Jeremy Pruitt.
Hamilton said Pruitt has his full support.
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“People from the state of Alabama know he’s proud of it. He was so smart and always worked hard. He made sure the guys were in the right spots, he made sure we were all clean on the game plan and he’s a particularly good recruiter,” said Hamilton, now an assistant defensive back with the Detroit Lions, this week trained at Reese’s Senior Bowl.” You might as well say he lives in Tuscaloosa. I’m sure everyone would love to have him back, but I know coach Saban will make the right decision whoever he chooses.”
Hamilton’s final two years at Alabama coincided with Pruitt’s two years as defensive coordinator from 2016-17. Though plagued by knee injuries during this period, he made 134 tackles and 16 tackles for loss at inside linebacker over two seasons in Pruitt’s defense.
Hamilton said he has no inside knowledge of who Saban is targeting for the DC role. Washington’s Ryan Grubb was reportedly sent to Tuscaloosa for an interview as a candidate for offensive coordinator, followed by news that Grubb will remain with the Huskies, but Saban’s moves in hiring DC remained secretive. Pruitt spent three seasons as Tennessee’s head coach but was fired with cause two years ago as part of an NCAA investigation that is still ongoing.
Hamilton, for example, watches closely from afar.
Despite the demands of professional coaching, he never misses a game in Alabama and said he’s even been known to spend his spare time dissecting Alabama’s feature film, which NFL employees are given for scouting purposes. In terms of defending the Crimson Tide in 2022, Hamilton realized something was missing compared to the No. 1 defense he was a part of under Pruitt.
“They definitely had things to correct,” Hamilton added. “But I trust Nick Saban enough to know he’s making the right decisions to get us back to the standard of how we play there in defence.”
Pruitt isn’t the only household name to consider for Saban. Alabama analyst Todd Grantham, who has extensive experience as a defensive coordinator, is an in-house option, while Georgia co-defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann came into the business under Saban as a reserve assistant.
Hamilton said he will trust anyone Saban hires.
But like many former Alabama players, Pruitt is his type.
Reach Chase Goodbread at [email protected] Follow @chasegoodbread on Twitter.
