Blake
01-14-2010, 01:50 AM
Willis leaving Alabama to be Tuberville's defensive coordinator at Texas Tech
TUSCALOOSA - For James Willis, the grass is greener in Lubbock, Texas. Figuratively, of course.
After serving one year as the inside linebackers coach on Alabama coach Nick Saban's staff, Willis has accepted a job as defensive coordinator at Texas Tech, according to a report in the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram.
He will be reunited with Tommy Tuberville, who became Texas Tech's head coach earlier this week.
Willis is a Huntsville native who served six seasons in two stints with Tuberville. The second stint was three years as Auburn's linebackers coach. Tuberville was fired after the 2008 season, and Willis was retained by new coach Gene Chizik but stayed only briefly.
Willis, a former star linebacker at Auburn who played seven seasons in the NFL and one season in the XFL, came back to Auburn when his playing career ended.
As a student assistant in 2002 and a graduate assistant in 2003, he served on Tuberville's staff along with Chizik, who was Auburn's defensive coordinator.
But shortly after he was retained at Auburn, Willis left Chizik's staff last January to come to Alabama. He replaced Lance Thompson, who left Saban's staff to go to Tennessee.
Willis' recruiting area included Mobile, where he also recruited for Auburn.
Saban has said repeatedly that he supports his assistant coaches who have opportunities to move up. That presumably would include Willis, whose chance to move from a position coach to a defensive coordinator is a step forward.
Last Friday, the day after Alabama's 37-21 victory over Texas in the national championship game, Saban reiterated his feelings.
"I'm always happy and interested for our coaches to be able to advance professionally, especially if it's a professional advancement in terms of a guy being a coordinator who can go be a head coach in a situation where he has a chance to be successful," Saban said.
"I'm not pleased when guys make lateral moves, because it's a little bit human nature to think - like my dad used to say - the grass is always greener on top of the septic tank. You always think it's better someplace else. You kind of let your ego get involved and you make moves that you shouldn't make that really aren't in your best interest from a career standpoint.
"So I'm not happy when guys do that. But anybody on our staff who can move up, we would like to help them do that."
Late in the regular season, Saban called Willis a very good linebacker coach."
"He's a very good person," Saban said. "He has a very stong moral, ethical values system that affects people in the right way. He has a positive impact on our players. ... He's very knowledgeable. ...
"He's done a positive job for us in recruiting. He's very well liked in the state by a lot of coaches who have had dealings with him because of the kind of person he is and the way he treats other people. ...
"He's been a tremendous asset in every way."
Tuberville now has both of his coordinators in place. For his offensive coordinator, he has hired 29-year-old Troy offensive coordinator Neal Brown.
TUSCALOOSA - For James Willis, the grass is greener in Lubbock, Texas. Figuratively, of course.
After serving one year as the inside linebackers coach on Alabama coach Nick Saban's staff, Willis has accepted a job as defensive coordinator at Texas Tech, according to a report in the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram.
He will be reunited with Tommy Tuberville, who became Texas Tech's head coach earlier this week.
Willis is a Huntsville native who served six seasons in two stints with Tuberville. The second stint was three years as Auburn's linebackers coach. Tuberville was fired after the 2008 season, and Willis was retained by new coach Gene Chizik but stayed only briefly.
Willis, a former star linebacker at Auburn who played seven seasons in the NFL and one season in the XFL, came back to Auburn when his playing career ended.
As a student assistant in 2002 and a graduate assistant in 2003, he served on Tuberville's staff along with Chizik, who was Auburn's defensive coordinator.
But shortly after he was retained at Auburn, Willis left Chizik's staff last January to come to Alabama. He replaced Lance Thompson, who left Saban's staff to go to Tennessee.
Willis' recruiting area included Mobile, where he also recruited for Auburn.
Saban has said repeatedly that he supports his assistant coaches who have opportunities to move up. That presumably would include Willis, whose chance to move from a position coach to a defensive coordinator is a step forward.
Last Friday, the day after Alabama's 37-21 victory over Texas in the national championship game, Saban reiterated his feelings.
"I'm always happy and interested for our coaches to be able to advance professionally, especially if it's a professional advancement in terms of a guy being a coordinator who can go be a head coach in a situation where he has a chance to be successful," Saban said.
"I'm not pleased when guys make lateral moves, because it's a little bit human nature to think - like my dad used to say - the grass is always greener on top of the septic tank. You always think it's better someplace else. You kind of let your ego get involved and you make moves that you shouldn't make that really aren't in your best interest from a career standpoint.
"So I'm not happy when guys do that. But anybody on our staff who can move up, we would like to help them do that."
Late in the regular season, Saban called Willis a very good linebacker coach."
"He's a very good person," Saban said. "He has a very stong moral, ethical values system that affects people in the right way. He has a positive impact on our players. ... He's very knowledgeable. ...
"He's done a positive job for us in recruiting. He's very well liked in the state by a lot of coaches who have had dealings with him because of the kind of person he is and the way he treats other people. ...
"He's been a tremendous asset in every way."
Tuberville now has both of his coordinators in place. For his offensive coordinator, he has hired 29-year-old Troy offensive coordinator Neal Brown.