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Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer is set to hire South Alabama head coach Kane Wommack as the Crimson Tide’s new defensive coordinator, sources told ESPN on Monday.

DeBoer and Wommack worked together on Indiana’s staff in 2019, DeBoer as the Hoosiers’ offensive coordinator and Wommack as defensive coordinator. Wommack, 36, just finished his third season as South Alabama’s head coach and led the Jaguars to bowl games each of the past two seasons. South Alabama won 10 games in 2022, the most in school history as an FBS program.

In his final season as Indiana’s defensive coordinator in 2020, Wommack was a finalist for the Broyles Award, which goes to the top assistant coach in the country.

The Hoosiers led the Big Ten that season with 20 forced turnovers. When promoted from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator in 2019, Wommack at the time was the youngest Power 5 defensive coordinator.

Wommack’s father, Dave, was a 35-year coaching veteran and the defensive coordinator at Ole Miss from 2012 to ’16. Kane Wommack worked under his father at Ole Miss as a graduate assistant and defensive backs coach and also worked with recently hired Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen on the Ole Miss staff and later became Allen’s defensive coordinator at Indiana when Allen was the Hoosiers’ head coach.

South Alabama ranked 15th nationally in total defense in 2023 (allowing 313.2 yards per game) and tied for 27th in scoring defense (allowing 21 points per game). The Jaguars were 26th in scoring defense in 2022 (allowing 21.3 points per game).

DeBoer, hired last Friday to replace Nick Saban as Alabama’s coach, has spent the past few days assembling his staff. He interviewed Travaris Robinson for the defensive coordinator job Sunday, but Robinson decided to remain at Georgia after taking a co-defensive coordinator job with the Bulldogs three days after Saban retired. Robinson was the defensive backs coach the past two seasons at Alabama under Saban and took on an increased role in 2023.

DeBoer is expected to bring offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb with him from Washington as well as several other coaches and assistants who were on the Huskies’ staff in 2023. Running backs coach Robert Gillespie and defensive line coach Freddie Roach are expected to be retained from Saban’s staff at Alabama.

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who lost his starting job earlier this week, will not be returning to the team, he announced Thursday night.

Castellanos, who started 12 games last season and retained the top job under new coach Bill O’Brien, wrote on X that “unfortunately, all good things come to an end, even though it’s sooner than I would like.” He did not mention the transfer portal in his departing message and has not officially entered it. The junior from Waycross, Georgia, started his career at UCF and appeared in five games in 2022.

O’Brien said Tuesday that Grayson James, who replaced Castellanos in last week’s win against Syracuse, will start Saturday when Boston College visits No. 14 SMU. Castellanos “wasn’t real thrilled” with the decision, O’Brien said, adding that the quarterback decided to step away from the team for several days.

Castellanos had 2,248 passing yards and 1,113 rushing yards last season under coach Jeff Hafley, passing for 15 touchdowns and adding 13 on the ground. He had 18 touchdown passes and only five interceptions this season, but his accuracy dipped in recent weeks, and he completed only 2 of 7 passes against Syracuse before being replaced.

In his statement, Castellanos thanked both coaching staffs he played for at Boston College and wrote that he had “some of the best experiences of my life in the Eagles Nest and I will truly cherish these memories forever.”

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Gators’ Lagway ‘ready to play,’ will start vs. LSU

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Gators' Lagway 'ready to play,' will start vs. LSU

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is “ready to play,” coach Billy Napier said Thursday on his weekly radio show.

Napier removed Lagway from the team’s injury report and penciled him in to start against No. 21 LSU in the Swamp on Saturday.

Lagway practiced every day this week while progressing from a strained left hamstring. The highly touted freshman was carted off the field against Georgia on Nov. 2. Tests revealed a “less significant” injury than initially feared, and now he’s back in time to face the Tigers.

The Gators (4-5, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) need him. They have to win two of their final three regular-season games to become bowl eligible.

LSU (6-3, 3-2) has struggled mightily against dual-threat QBs, including Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who ran for 185 yards and four touchdowns last week.

Lagway returns after walk-on and Yale transfer Aidan Warner started in his place against Texas. Warner threw two interceptions and was 12-of-25 passing for 132 yards in a 49-17 loss.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Georgia leading rusher Etienne ruled out vs. Vols

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Georgia leading rusher Etienne ruled out vs. Vols

No. 12 Georgia will be without leading rusher Trevor Etienne for Saturday’s showdown against No. 7 Tennessee.

Etienne was downgraded from questionable to out on Thursday night’s SEC availability report.

Etienne left Georgia’s win over Florida with an upper-body injury on Nov. 2 and did not return. He played limited snaps in last week’s 28-10 loss at Ole Miss, carrying the ball six times for 24 yards.

Etienne leads the Bulldogs with 477 rushing yards and seven touchdowns this season.

The loss is another blow to Georgia’s banged-up backfield. Cash Jones is also listed as questionable while Branson Robinson remains out after missing the past three games with a knee injury.

That leaves true freshman Nate Frazier as the only healthy Bulldogs running back who has played meaningful snaps this year. Frazier is second on the team with 333 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

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