Report: Alabama moving Bryan Ellis to QB coach

July 30, 2025; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Tight ends coach Bryan Ellis coaches tight end Peter Knudson as he does a rep during the first practice session of the preseason for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Alabama will have a familiar face coaching its new starting quarterback next season. According to a report from Football Scoop, the Crimson Tide is moving Bryan Ellis from his position as tight ends coach to oversee quarterbacks. Ellis will take over for Nick Sheridan, who accepted the offensive coordinator position at Michigan State earlier this offseason. 

Ellis has spent the past two seasons coaching tight ends for Alabama. The former UAB quarterback has previous experience overseeing passers at Georgia Southern (2022-23), Western Kentucky (2019-20) and Southern California (2018). 

In 2023, Ellis helped GSU rank No. 13 in passing offense, averaging 302.2 yards per game through the air. GSU quarterback Davis Brin set a school record with a 65.6 completion percentage while passing for 3,781 yards and 24 touchdowns with 19 interceptions that year. In 2023, Ellis helped Kyle Vantreese break multiple passing records, as the GSU quarterback threw for 4,253 yards and 27 touchdowns with 16 interceptions. 

During the 2020 season, Ellis helped Western Kentucky quarterback Tyrrell Pigrom set a program record with 279 consecutive pass attempts without an interception. 

During his 2018 season at USC, Ellis navigated the progression of true freshman JT Daniels, who reclassified to join the program a year early and became just the second true freshman to start a season opener for the Trojans in program history. Before taking a full-time role with USC, Ellis assisted head coach Clay Helton in the quarterback room, where the duo worked together with Sam Darnold in 2017. Darnold set school marks for passing yards (4,143) and total offense (4,225 yards) while posting the most 200-yard (13) and 300-yard (8) passing games in USC history.

This season, Ellis will oversee a unit that loses starting quarterback Ty Simpson from last season. Alabama returns rising redshirt junior Austin Mack as well as rising redshirt freshman Keelon Russell. The Tide is also adding a pair of freshman passers in Jett Thomalla and Tayden Kaawa.