All positions have been filled for the University of Alabama football team, as Nick Saban announced the new additions via the Crimson Tide’s athletics communications department.
Per Thursday’s press release, both Dan Enos and Craig Kuligowski were added.
While the two come under the tag of associate head coach, Enos will serve as quarterbacks coach and Kuligowski takes over for the departed Karl Dubar at defensive line coach. Enos has 23 years of major coaching experience, dating back to Lakeland University from 1994-95.
The 49-year-old has worked with wide receivers, quarterbacks and running backs throughout his tenure, but the former Michigan State University quarterback (1987-91) knows his passion.
In his five seasons as a head coach at Central Michigan University, Enos guided Ryan Radcliff and Cooper Rush into being 3,000-yard passers. At Arkansas, the Michigan native was skilled in running a balanced, pro-style attack that featured two 3,000-yard signal callers in Brandon Allen and Austin while producing two 1,000-yard rushers in Alex Collins (2015) and Rawleigh Williams III (2016).
Prior to CMU and Arkansas, Enos mentored quarterbacks at Michigan State (2006), Cincinnati (2004-05), North Dakota State (2003), Western Michigan (2000-02), Missouri State (1999) and Southern Illinois (1997-98).
As for Kuligowksi, he spent the last two years at University of Miami.
Under his tutelage, the ‘Canes had 81 sacks – including an NCAA-best 44 sacks in 2017. Its defensive line accounted for 56.5 of the 81 sacks, which was good for 70 percent and helped the team obtain a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game. Before arriving in the ACC, he was a long-time assistant at Missouri under Gary Pinkel.
Kuligowski developed the Tigers into a professional warehouse when it comes to defensive linemen, as he put Sheldon Richardson, Shane Ray, Kony Ealy, Harold Brantley, Markus Golden and Michael Sam in the NFL.
Saban announced the promotions of Michael Locksley to offensive coordinator and Tosh Lupoi to defensive coordinator and defensive play caller. Pete Golding, former assistant at University of Texas-San Antonio, will serve as co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach.
Josh Gattis will coach wide receivers and be the co-offensive coordinator, while former Texas A&M assistant Jeff Banks takes special teams and tight ends. Joe Punnuzio, Alabama’s special teams coach in 2017, has moved to running backs. The biggest change is the transition of long-time assistant Burton Burns to an off-field role.
Burns has been the Tide’s staple at running backs coach since 2007, molding nine 1,000-yard rushers and two Heisman Trophy winners in Mark Ingram (2009) and Derrick Henry (2015). After helping the squad put seven backs in the National Football League, Burns now moves to be the assistant athletics director for football.
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
