Alabama defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley has agreed in principle to become Colorado State's defensive coordinator, sources tell FootballScoop.
Ansley is expected to join Mike Bobo's staff after Alabama completes the College Football Playoff National Championship against Georgia on Monday night. He becomes the second Tide defensive staffer to leave for a promotion this offseason after defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt took the Tennessee job last month.
Ansley is a native Alabamian who has spent the majority of his life in the Yellowhammer State. He played at Troy and then coached five years at Division III Huntingdon College in Montgomery before joining Nick Saban's staff as a graduate assistant in 2010-11. Those seasons on Saban's staff led Ansley to defensive backs jobs at Tennessee (2012) and Kentucky (2013-15) before returning to Alabama in 2016.
His Tide secondary leads the nation in pass efficiency defense heading into Monday night's game. Opponents have completed 54.1 percent of their throws for 5.3 yards per attempt with seven touchdowns against 17 interceptions.
Colorado State finished 2017 ranked 98th in total defense, 110th in yards per play allowed, and 72nd in scoring. In head coach Mike Bobo's third season, the Rams booked their third consecutive 7-6 season this fall, concluding with a loss to Marshall in the New Mexico Bowl.
Defensive coordinator Marty English announced his retirement in November, effective at the conclusion of the New Mexico Bowl.
Bobo's criteria for English's replacement, according to the Denver Post, were:
1. Extremely competitive any time of the day.
2. Experience based in a 3-4 scheme, but with the ability to adjust to multiple fronts.
3. Maximize the tools on the roster.
“There are a lot of people out there that I know in this business that are good coaches, have been at good places and done a lot of great things,” Bobo said. “But I’ve got to find the right fit for this football team and this program.”
English made $235,000 in 2017 while Ansley took home $405,000, according to the USA Todaycoaching salary database.
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