Chris Kapilovic is not expected to return as Alabama’s offensive line coach, according to multiple reports on Friday night.
The move is not a surprise after Alabama struggled to run the ball to a historic degree this fall. The Crimson Tide averaged just 104.13 yards per game and 3.35 per carry, numbers that ranked 125th and 126th nationally. At the time FootballScoop researched Alabama’s rushing woes back in November, this Crimson Tide team was running the ball on a per game basis for the fewest yards since 1955. But the ’55 Crimson Tide team, which went 0-10 under head coach Jennings Whitworth, finished the year averaging 104.5 rushing yards per game; the 2025 Tide fell below that number after mustering minus-3 yards in an SEC Championship loss to Georgia, 28 in a College Football Playoff opening round win over Oklahoma, and then 23 in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal loss to Indiana.
Needless to say, this was not the expectation for a Tide team that placed three linemen on the preseason All-SEC team.
Alabama also allowed the most pressures in the SEC, according to Pro Football Focus.
Kapliovic joined Kalen DeBoer’s staff ahead of last season after four years coaching the offensive line at Michigan State. He has also coached offensive lines for Colorado, North Carolina, Southern Miss, Missouri State, Alabama State, and in the junior college and high school ranks.
DeBoer’s offensive line coach at Washington, Scott Huff, took the same position with the Seattle Seahawks alongside offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. But whereas Grubb returned to DeBoer and the college game after a 1-year run in pro football, Huff landed a job as the tight ends coach for the Los Angeles Rams for the 2025 season. The Rams play, ironically, in Seattle in the NFC title game on Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET, Fox).
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.