Nick Saban has been searching during the offseason for candidates to replace members of his defensive staff who have accepted other coaching gigs. Many of those were caused by the departure longtime defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, who has already moved on in Athens as Georgia's new head coach.
As of Sunday morning, Saban has reportedly hired Derrick Ansley as a new defensive assistant according to the Alabama Rivals.com affiliate.. Ansley was a graduate assistant for Saban and the Tide from 2010-11. Ansley was recently named the co-defensive coordinator at Kentucky. He spent one season at Tennessee in 2012 and arrived in Lexington in 2013, where he spent coaching the secondary.
Ansley is expected to also coach the secondary in Tuscaloosa under new defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt. He is filling the vacancy of Mel Tucker who followed Smart to Athens. Given the Pruitt hire along with Ansley already having experience with Saban, this sounds like a pretty good hire.
