Alabama has made it official with one of its former players.
After moving Brian Baker to an off-field role and having the Indianapolis Colts call him back to the National Football League, the Crimson Tide issued a press release that returns Freddie Roach to the team as its defensive line coach.
Since the end of the 2019 season, Roach and Alabama have had a mutual respect for each other. Reports would surface on Roach visiting the campus and a photo appeared on Twitter of him in Crimson Tide gear on the recruiting trail.
When asked about him, Nick Saban mentioned at the Senior Bowl on how some ‘internal things’ needed to be worked out.
It appears as though everything is in order now.
As a native of Killen, Ala., Roach played inside linebacker for the Tide from 2001 to 2005.
He totaled 271 career tackles and helped captain the 2005 defense to finishing in the top-10 in five major categories.
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He had two stints on Saban’s staff as an assistant strength coach (2008-10) and a director of player development (2015-16), assisting Alabama to winning two national championships.
Roach has also served as a defensive line and linebackers’ coach at East Mississippi Community College, Murray State, South Alabama and Ole Miss. In each place he has been at, Roach was an outstanding recruiter and a strong coach. He got the maximum effort from his players and in the eyes of his peers, he is one of the young coaches on the rise. During his three seasons with the Rebels (2017-19), 58.5 of its 84 sacks came from its defensive line – which was 70 percent.
Alabama now has someone back that knows the standard and with the talent it has, Roach is in position to have major success. Another piece of the “Bama factor” is in place as he’s back home.
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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.
