Sources: Tide’s Steele retiring after 40-year profession

• Chris Low, ESPN Senior Citizen WriterJan 8, 2024, 08:33 PM ET

  Close

  • College football reporter
  • Joined ESPN.com in 2007
  • Graduate of the University of Tennessee

Veteran protective organizer Kevin Steele, who simply finished his third stint at Alabama under Nick Saban, plans to retire from coaching, sources informed ESPN.Steele, who turns

66 in March, simply finished his 40th year in training, including 13 years in the SEC. Steele was a finalist for the Broyles Award in 2017 as the leading assistant in college football while the protective organizer at Auburn.Alabama was second in the SEC in scoring

defense this season and connected for 16th nationally(allowing 19 points per game ). Editor’s Picks 2 Associated Steele spent the 2022 season as

Miami’s protective coordinator before

returning to Alabama to be the Crimson Tide’s protective organizer in 2023. Steele has actually been a defensive organizer for 12 of his years in training at five different schools– Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, LSU and Miami.A former player at Tennessee, Steele has coached under some of the greatest names in the sport.

In addition to Saban, Steele has worked under Bobby Bowden, Tom Osborne, Dabo Swinney and Johnny Majors. Steele also coached in the NFL as linebackers coach for the Carolina Panthers from 1995 to 1998 and was Baylor’s head coach from 1999 to 2002, where he was fired after going 9-36 in four seasons.Saban now has 3 openings on his training personnel. Coleman Hutzler, who coached outdoors linebackers and special groups, left to be Mississippi State’s defensive planner and linebackers coach. Holmon Wiggins, who coached receivers, left for a task at Texas A&M to be co-offensive planner and receivers coach.