Since he arrived at Alabama during the 2020 season there may not have been a more impactful off-field staff member than the Crimson Tide’s Director of Sports Science, Dr. Matt Rhea. Rhea along with strength coach David Ballou helped integrate cutting-edge sports science training which worked wonders on the team’s soft tissue injuries.
But earlier this month Rhea left Alabama for a position with the New Orleans Saints and was replaced internally by Paul Constantine who served as an assistant strength and conditioning coach last season.
Losing Rhea was surely a blow to the staff, but when speaking with the media on Wednesday during the Crimson Tide’s Pro Day, Saban assured everybody that the transition has gone smoothly.
“It’s been really smooth,” Saban said to the media. “Dr. Rhea did a great job for us, but the people we have in place know the system. They worked it for several years. Dave Ballou is the guy that implements the whole thing, so that hasn’t changed. So I don’t think anybody would really notice a difference. I don’t think we skipped a beat because the people we have are good people and we like to develop from within.
“Those people have developed very nicely.”
Despite Rhea’s departure, Alabama was able to retain Ballou who had been partnered with him since their days at Indiana and IMG Academy before that.
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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
