Former polarizing Auburn football defensive coordinator a Tide DC candidate

Auburn football fans already don’t have a positive outlook on former defensive coordinator Kevin Steele after his coup attempt to replace Gus Malzahn as head coach — and the latest rumors surrounding the 64-year-old could lead to even more bad blood.

Steele has been linked to the Alabama Crimson Tide’s defensive coordinator position after the program hired Notre Dame’s Tommy Rees away from his alma mater on February 3 for the offensive coordinator position.

According to Footballscoop, Steele is on the radar of Nick Saban and co. after serving in the same role for the Miami Hurricanes last season:

"“In the past 72 hours, Steele has emerged as a legitimate candidate for the Alabama defensive coordinator post, multiple sources with direct knowledge have told FootballScoop.”“Sources indicated that Steele has spoken directly to Saban within the past week; the Tide’s search had zeroed on on Todd Grantham, the well-traveled veteran defensive coordinator who had been an analyst for the Crimson Tide in 2022.”"

Kevin Steele laid groundwork for top defenses as Auburn football DC

While the #StopSteele movement gained traction on social media and turned him into a villain during his final days on the Plains, it cannot be glossed over how successful he was on the recruiting trail.

While his work from 2016-2020 added notable bruisers to the program who’d go on to play in the NFL, his most critical work came from saving the Tigers’ 2021 recruiting class in the days following Gus Malzahn’s firing. That came during the once-in-a-lifetime COVID-19-stricken season just days ahead of Early National Signing Day.

Steele wasn’t perfect, but he did plenty of things to maintain the identity of a defense that was contending with historic Alabama offenses and other great teams in the SEC over the latter half of the 2010s.

Alabama football would be getting a competent coordinator if Steele got the call from Saban to run his defense in Tuscaloosa.