Former Auburn football defensive coordinator Kevin Steele can’t get away with the organization power-plays he attempted to make on the Plains under his new boss, Alabama head coach Nick Saban — this, at least, according to USA Today’s Blake Toppmeyer.
Steele inspired the #StopSteele movement among Auburn football fans back following the 2020 COVID-19-stricken season after his fifth season working underneath then-Tigers head coach Gus Malzahn. Steele wanted Malzahn’s job, and in part, helped get the Texas native fired — but Bryan Harsin was hired by then-AD Allen Greene instead and, after an unsuccessful Citrus Bowl as interim head coach, Steele was fired too.
Try that with Saban in Tuscaloosa, Toppmeyer writes, and Steele will be an example for all future Crimson Tide assistants of how to kill your coaching career in a piece detailing the writer’s opinion shift on the Alabama DC hire:
"“The two knocks on Steele: He flopped as a head coach, and he developed a reputation for rocking the boat under Gus Malzahn in a quest to ascend to Auburn’s head chair.”“My rebuttal to those points: Steele is one of many who failed as Baylor’s coach before Art Briles came along, and being an unsuccessful coach is not reflective of his value as a coordinator. As to the latter, if Steele rocks the boat under Saban, his head will be a spike outside Bryant-Denny Stadium before he can say “Roll Tide.”"
A reason former Auburn football DC Kevin Steele coveted Alabama job
As it turns out, Steele needed one more year coaching in the state of Alabama to get a pension. Toppmeyer explained the hidden motivation for why the 64-year-old wanted to return to coach in the Yellowhammer State for his fourth stint at either Alabama or Auburn:
"“When Steele left LSU after one season in favor of Auburn, one of his reported motivations was a desire to inch closer to Alabama’s state pension, which requires 10 years of service in a qualified position to receive retirement benefits. Between Alabama and Auburn, Steele has logged nine seasons at state institutions. So, you can see why a return to Saban’s staff would appeal to him in more ways than one.”"
Given his age, Steele’s stay at Alabama could be to win an elusive championship and sail off into the sunset with a pension in the state.