Kalen DeBoer adds former Washington player to Alabama staff, per report
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Kalen DeBoer is adding a name to his Alabama coaching staff who once played for him in the Pacific Northwest.
According to a report by FootballScoop on Monday morning, DeBoer is hiring Will Nixon, who played running back for Kalen DeBoer at Washington, as an offensive analyst in Tuscaloosa. Nixon finished his playing career at Syracuse after his time playing for DeBoer in Seattle, and now he’ll apparently be working for DeBoer behind the scenes instead of trying to gain yards for him on the field.
Nixon has apparently gotten a head start on things during training camp as he’s been with the Crimson Tide staff since camp opened, according to the FootballScoop report.
It’s already been a whirlwind of travel for Nixon around college football. Nixon began as a wide receiver at Nebraska before he was moved to running back. Then it was off to Washington when DeBoer himself lured him out there, where Nixon spent 2 seasons while appearing in 26 games for the Huskies.
Nixon was a big part of the 2023 Washington team that DeBoer led all the way to the national title game. He played in all 15 games for those Huskies, posting 54 carries for 290 yards and 3 touchdowns while also catching 20 balls for 150 yards.
The Nixon-DeBoer ties were so strong that when DeBoer took the Alabama job, Nixon decided to leave Washington, too, transferring to Syracuse where his father, Jeff Nixon, was the offensive coordinator and running backs coach.
With Will Nixon’s father being a former coach with college ties and NFL connections, he was always close to the game and the coaching profession. And after a very productive 2025 season at Syracuse on the field, Nixon has now chosen to start his time in the coaching profession behind the scenes while working for a man he has a lot of history with.
Alabama is preparing to host East Carolina on Saturday in its 2026 season opener, as the Crimson Tide try to get back to the College Football Playoff. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about Bama’s potential win total for the regular season that would help its Playoff chances:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
