After losing to Texas and giving up 34 points at home in a rare early season loss for Nick Saban, it was no secret that there were going to be some changes at Alabama.
When the Tide took the field against USF on Saturday, those changes started at the quarterback position, as both Ty Simpson and Tyler Buchner struggled, combining to throw for just over 100 yards.
That's not where the changes seemed to have ended, as Lane Kiffin recently pointed out.
While veteran defensive coordinator Kevin Steele was brought back to Tuscaloosa this off season, after calling defenses at Clemson, LSU, Auburn, and Miami, the game against South Florida showed a new influence on the defensive side of the ball.
Kiffin told reporters Sunday during a Zoom interview yesterday that he believes there were some significant changes on the defensive side of the ball.
"I don’t know what happened after the Texas game, but you know, our guys watching the TV copy schematically in this last game, it certainly seems like T-Rob’s now calling the defense."
Secondary coach Travaris Robinson has been on staff since January of 2022, and the former South Carolina defensive coordinator from 2016-19 initially worked with just the corners before he took over the entire secondary this season.
"We played him before at South Carolina, so we’re preparing accordingly, you know, for him calling the defense. He’s done a good job too, and they’ve got really good players."
After previously working with Steele at Alabama, and then coaching against him when he moved on to LSU and Auburn, Kiffin has a hold on what a Kevin Steele defense looks like, and Saturday's game for the Tide showed a new influence with Robinson's DNA clearly discernable to the veteran offensive play caller.
The Rebels will travel to Bryant-Denny on Saturday to face off at 3:30pm EST on CBS.