Nick Saban explains why Robert Bala was the right choice for Alabama to coach ILBs

Pete Golding doubled as Alabama’s inside linebackers coach and defensive coordinator for four seasons (2019-22).

He is now with Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss, which allowed Nick Saban to hire a new inside linebackers coach.

The 71-year-old chose a former Liberty staffer to join him with the Crimson Tide. Robert Bala served as a defensive analyst at Liberty in 2022; however, Saban feels he is good enough to mentor the linebackers. People were confused by the Bala hire as they wanted a proven name coaching one of the most important positions for Alabama. Bala assisted the Flames to be top-ranked in tackles for loss (121, 9.3 per game) in 2022 and No. 3 nationally for sacks (45, 3.46 per game). He has 15 years of experience overall coaching cornerbacks, linebackers, and safeties. He has served at smaller programs, but Bala was a defensive coordinator at Southern Utah and Palomar College. Saban sees Bala as someone who will serve as a great teacher, developer, and on-field coach. On Monday, he mentioned to reporters why Bala was the best candidate for the program.

“We look for guys that fit our culture from a character standpoint,” Saban said.

“We want guys that are going to set a good example and be good leaders for the players on our team. Secondly, we are looking for people who know — especially knowledge of our system. And, can the guy be a good teacher? In the interview process, we thought that Robert was an excellent candidate as a young guy that can come in and do those things well for us.”

Bala will lean on Saban, Kevin Steele, Charlie Strong, and Freddie Roach for guidance.

If he can return the inside linebackers to elite performance, Tide fans will be excited to have Bala.

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