Charlie Strong is the latest former head coach to join Nick Saban at Alabama.
Strong, who has had head-coaching stops at Louisville, Texas and South Florida, has agreed to a deal to become a defensive analyst at Alabama under Saban, sources told ESPN. Several other SEC schools had expressed interest in hiring Strong in a coordinator and/or analyst role since his ouster at South Florida following the 2019 season.
Strong, 59, visited with Saban last week on Alabama’s campus.
Florida coach Dan Mullen had also talked with Strong about filling a defensive analyst’s role. Strong was the defensive coordinator at Florida under Urban Meyer when the Gators won national championships in 2006 and 2008.
The hiring of Strong continues a trend for Saban at Alabama of bringing in former head coaches either in assistant roles or analyst roles. Among them: Steve Sarkisian, Lane Kiffin, Mike Locksley, Mike Stoops, Kyle Flood, Major Applewhite and Butch Jones. Sarkisian is currently the Tide’s offensive coordinator.
Strong most recently was the head coach at South Florida, where he went 21-16 in three seasons. He was fired after the Bulls went 4-8 this past season. Previously, he was at Texas and was fired after going 16-21 in three seasons. Strong’s first head-coaching job was at Louisville, where he led the Cardinals to a 37-15 record in four seasons. He won at least 11 games each of his last two seasons at Louisville, including a win over Florida in the Sugar Bowl to cap the 2012 season.
Strong began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Florida in 1983 and has worked for some of the biggest names in college football. He adds Saban to a list that already includes Lou Holtz, Steve Spurrier and Meyer.