SDS takes a tour through the SEC West and introduces you to each team’s linebackers coach.

Alabama — Kirby Smart, Tosh Lupoi (outside linebackers)

Alabama fans know all about Smart, the former Broyles Award winner who has stewarded the Crimson Tide defense for nearly all of Nick Saban’s tenure. Smart crafted top-five defenses from 2008-2013, with Alabama’s No. 12 ranking in 2014 his worst effort as DC. Lupoi is a new hire in the on-field department, brought on to fill the spot on the staff created when Kevin Steele went to LSU to become DC and Lance Thompson left for Auburn. Prior to his promotion, Lupoi had been an intern who helped with recruiting, according to Nick Saban. Lupoi, 33, most recently coached the defensive line at Washington under Steve Sarkisian, where he was involved in an NCAA investigation and cleared of wrongdoing.

Arkansas — Vernon Hargreaves

A new arrival on Bret Bielema’s staff, Hargreaves has a long track record at the college level, having coached in college football since the 1980s. Most recently, he helped turn around a Houston defense in his two years, helping to take them from 118th in FBS the year before he arrived to 20th last season. His two stops prior saw Hargreaves coach special teams and defensive ends, but he was highly successful in his previous LBs stop at Miami (Fla.), where he went seven linebackers to the NFL and coached a Butkus, Nagurski and Bednarik Award winner Dan Morgan. If Hargreaves’ name sounds familiar, there’s a reason for that: his son, Vernon Hargreaves III, is a star cornerback at Florida.

Auburn — Lance Thompson

Will Muschamp made waves early in his Auburn DC tenure, poaching multiple coaches from other SEC teams. One of them is Lance Thompson, the Alabama linebackers coach that Nick Saban was none too thrilled to lose. Thompson was thrice a member of Alabama’s staff, coaching the defensive line from 1999-2000, outside linebackers from 2007-08 and again with linebackers the last three years. Thompson had also worked with Muschamp and Nick Saban at LSU in 2002-03. Thompson is regarded as an excellent recruiter, as he was the recruiting coordinator for the 2003 national champion LSU team and won Rivals.com’s Recruiter of the Year in 2008 at Alabama, a year before Saban won his first title there.

LSU — Kevin Steele

Steele was given the linebackers coach title when he was hired in January. He was the linebackers coach at Alabama last season, as well as in 2008, and was also a DC/LBs coach during his time at Clemson, where he built two top-20 defenses in four years. Steele has also coached linebackers at the professional level, holding the position with the Carolina Panthers from 1995-98. Steele, a former head coach at Baylor, is also regarded as one of the best recruiters in the nation, winning a Recruiter of the Year award while coaching linebackers at Florida State in the mid-2000s.

Mississippi State — Manny Diaz

Another new DC hired to do two jobs, Diaz will replace Geoff Collins running the Bulldogs defense while also coaching its linebackers group. Just 40 years old, Diaz has been a defensive coordinator since 2006, and has been a DC/LBs coach since 2008. Diaz, of course, was defensive coordinator at Mississippi State in 2010 before leaving for Texas, going to Louisiana Tech for one year after three seasons in Austin. He guided Louisiana Tech’s rise from 70th in total defense in 2013 to 35th in 2014, one of the biggest improvements in FBS and a strong rebound from his lackluster final year at Texas, which saw him dismissed before season’s end.

Ole Miss — Dave Wommack

Wommack had linebacker duties added to his slate this offseason as the Rebels shuffled their coaching staff on the defensive side, taking over for Tom Allen, who left to take the defensive coordinator job at South Florida. Wommack has been a defensive coordinator at seven different FBS/Division I schools, and he was in charge of the No. 13 defense in FBS last season. Wommack has been with Hugh Freeze since before his Ole Miss days, with the two working together at Arkansas State in 2011. Last year, Wommack coached one of the best secondaries in the country, led by Cody Prewitt and Senquez Golson, both All-SEC performers.

Texas A&M — John Chavis

Chavis makes three new DCs in the West, and five in total, coaching linebackers at their new job. It’s the same dual position Chavis held at LSU from 2009-14 and at Tennessee from 1995-2008 (he also coached linebackers and defensive line for the Vols from 1989-94). Chavis’ track record is obviously stellar, having constructed top-15 defenses in all but his first year at LSU and coordinating Tennessee’s defenses during the Volunteers’ run at the top of the SEC. He’s coached college and NFL stars like Al Wilson and Jerod Mayo at Tennessee, and had four linebackers drafted while he was at LSU, as well as likely early round pick Kwon Alexander this year.