Alabama football assistant coach signals departure after Kalen DeBoer replaces Nick Saban
It appears Alabama football will have a new inside linebackers coach.
Robert Bala posted to X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday with a goodbye message.
"Thankful for the opportunity," Bala wrote. "It's been real, will always rock with the #RollTide."
Bala joined Nick Saban's staff for one season, serving as inside linebackers coach. He oversaw the development of Jihaad Campbell who emerged as a starter for the Crimson Tide.
Bala had previously been a defensive analyst at Liberty and was set to be a linebackers coach for the Flames before he took the Alabama job. Alabama originally hired Austin Armstrong for the role, but Armstrong left to be Florida's defensive coordinator after about a month.
Kalen DeBoer's Alabama staff is coming together still. It has not officially been announced yet. Defensive line coach Freddie Roach and running backs coach Robert Gillespie are set to be retained, sources tell The Tuscaloosa News.
Among the new hires are defensive coordinator Kane Wommack and receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard.
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Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, and he covers Alabama football and men's basketball. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Robert Bala: Alabama assistant coach signals departure