Matt Eberflus, the former Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator and longtime Mizzou assistant, was recently named the new head coach of the Chicago Bears.

It will be the first head coaching job in his career, and the former Toledo player and assistant couldn’t be more excited.

During his time at Toledo, Eberflus played under Nick Saban during the 1990 season, and it’s clear he learned a lot from the legendary coach. During his introductory press conference, he cited Saban as a motivation (via AL.com):

“I got a chance to play for a guy my junior year that showed me how to come into an organization and change the culture and change the mindset of that,” Eberflus said. “And I was literally living it because I was a player. I’ve stayed in touch with him, and that’s Nick Saban. I really appreciate the example that he’s given me.”

Eberflus was a linebacker on Saban’s 1990 Toledo squad. He then spent time on Gary Pinkel’s coaching staff, both at Toledo and at Mizzou.

Now, he’ll be tasked with turning around a Bears franchise that has struggled in recent years. Chicago has young QB Justin Fields in place, but needs more talent around him on both sides of the ball. We’ll see how Year 1 under Eberflus goes this fall.