South Alabama announced on Tuesday that head football coach Kane Wommack has resigned from his position to accept the defensive coordinator position at Alabama.
Wommack, a graduate of Southern Miss who played fullback for the Golden Eagles from 2007-2009, began his coaching career on the FCS level before joining his father, Dave Wommack, on the defensive staff at Ole Miss as a graduate assistant and secondary coach. In Oxford, he coached the “husky” position, which was one of the defensive backs in Dave’s 4-2-5 defensive scheme.
Even though this was Wommack’s first experience as an SEC coach, he had previously played at Arkansas before transferring to Hattiesburg. Upon leaving Ole Miss in 2013, Wommack worked as defensive coordinator at three different schools – Eastern Illinois, South Alabama, and Indiana – before coming back to Mobile in 2021 to be the Jaguars’ head coach.
In three years, Wommack compiled a 22-16 overall record, including a share of the Sun Belt Conference regular season championship in 2022 with a 10-3 finish. After finishing 6-6 in 2023, Wommack led South Alabama to the program’s first-ever bowl victory with a 59-10 stomping of Eastern Michigan in the 68 Ventures Bowl. On every team he’s had at USA, Wommack has had at least 10 players on the roster from Mississippi.
“I deeply appreciate Kane’s service to our program, university, and city,” USA athletic director Joel Erdmann said. “His efforts propelled us forward, and we wish him and Melissa the very best.”
During all three seasons at USA, Wommack defeated his alma mater, including a 55-3 win over the Golden Eagles on Oct. 17, 2023.
Wommack now joins new Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer, who comes to Tuscaloosa from Washington. The two coached together at Indiana in 2019 when DeBoer was offensive coordinator and Wommack was defensive coordinator.
