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Former NFL head coach Ken Whisenhunt has joined the Alabama Crimson Tide coaching staff as a special assistant to head coach Nick Saban, ESPN's Adam Rittenberg reported, noting that Whisenhunt's name appeared on the Alabama athletics staff directory page as of Wednesday (February 15) night.
Whisenhunt, 60, who had previously served as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals (2007-12) and Tennessee Titans (2014-15), last worked an on-field coaching role as the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2019 and spent the past two seasons working as an offensive analyst at Penn State.
The Georgia native has past ties to the SEC, having began his coaching career as a special teams, tight ends and H-backs coach at Vanderbilt University in 1995. Whisenhunt owns a 48-71 head coaching record, which includes leading the Cardinals to a Super Bowl XLIII appearance during his second season, as well as an additional postseason berth the following year.
The 60-year-old will replace Drew Svoboda, who accepted the special teams coordinator position at North Texas after two seasons with the Tide. Whisenhunt will join an Alabama staff that includes his son-in-law, former LSU and NFL quarterback Zach Mettenberger, who is currently working as an analyst.