Impact of Former Players on Staff Showed Late vs. Georgia

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- On Saturday night against Georgia, Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer tore into Dijon Lee after Lee's costly penalty late against the Bulldogs. On the sideline, former Alabama safety and current Director of Player Development Ha Ha Clinton-Dix put his arm around Lee after the confrontation from Coach DeBoer. Clinton-Dix also grabbed Lee while DeBoer was talking to him and turned the sophomore defensive back's attention back to his head coach.

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Clinton-Dix was on the receiving end of his fair share of ass chewings from former Alabama head coach Nick Saban during his tenure with the Crimson Tide. He's also not the only former Crimson Tide player on Alabama's staff, with Josh Chapman (defensive lineman) as a Director of Player Development, Denzel Devall (linebacker) as a Director of Player Development, and Freddie Roach (defensive lineman) as Alabama's defensive line coach and assistant head coach. Having former players on the coaching staff was a big point for Kalen DeBoer as he built his "army" of people to move the team in the right direction.

"It takes an army of people in this building to keep our team all moving in the same direction. I really feel as we get to this year in particular, the people who kind of feel it out, a guy like Ha Ha, they’re trying to feel things out. They’ve been here, but how does Coach DeBoer want it to be? What’s my role? He’s part of a group with Denzel [Devall] and Josh Chapman that really provide a lot of support to our guys," DeBoer said. "They support our guys, but they’re lifers here as far as Alabama alums and knowing what it takes."

Clinton-Dix is a former first -round pick in the 2014 NFL draft out of Alabama to the Green Bay Packers, where he spent the first five seasons in the NFL. The Packers traded him to the Washington Commanders in 2018, where he spent the remainder of 2018. In 2019, he played for the Chicago Bears, and in 2021, he played for the Los Angeles Rams.

"The accountability, along with the teaching and things like that, just having a guy like Ha Ha who’s played at a high level here, gone off to the next level, and excelled in the NFL. Comes back and can take all those teaching moments and seeing who he had, and keep a level head and be there when it matters most to help all of us get through it. In that moment, make it teachable, continued conversations even since then that can make this positive in the end even though it’s obviously a negative in the moment.”

Clinton-Dix took to social media after the game, saying, "Win as a team, lose as a team. All about having class in everything we do. Love these young men."

When you have the buy-in from former players, who didn't even play for the current coach, to hold those on the team accountable, it's a testament to what Kalen DeBoer has continued to build in Tuscaloosa in his third year as the head coach. The Tide will hold Dijon Lee accountable for his actions on the field late in Saturday's contest.

"Well, you know, obviously, you know, my job is to get the most out of every single player in our defense, right? And so, the things that I need to do to get him to execute at a higher level than what he's doing from an execution standpoint," Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said on Monday, "that's one facet, and then the other facet, right, is being held accountable for the, you know, the penalty there at the end of the game, and so you know there'll be some things that that we will do this week, and some things obviously moving forward. My job as a coordinator is based upon the production that you put on the field, the role that you have moving forward, and so from a rep base standpoint, you know that that will be reflective in what guys have done to this point."

Alabama replaced Lee with Mercer transfer Carmelo O'Neal after the penalty, but Georgia kneeled the ball on three consecutive plays after the penalty on Lee.

No. 6 Alabama will travel to Neyland Stadium to take on the 14th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday, October 17. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.