The Alabama Crimson Tide to Jacksonville Jaguars pipeline is alive and well. Another Tuscaloosa groomed assistant will reportedly make way for the NFL to join Urban Meyer.
According to FootballScoop.com, defensive analyst Patrick Reilly will join the Jaguars in a defensive quality control role for the 2021 season.
Reilly spent the last three years with Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa, but boasts additional experience at the Power Five level. He also served as a defensive analyst at UCLA from 2016 to 2018.
Bringing on young coaches from the college level seems to be a trend of Meyer’s this offseason. The move might be risky for the Jaguars, but will provide Reilly with his most prestigious opportunity yet.
Source tells FootballScoop Urban Meyer is hiring another defensive analyst off of Nick Saban’s staff https://t.co/bsiBR23Hn2
— FootballScoop Staff (@FootballScoop) February 10, 2021
The Alabama assistant will be just the latest in what’s become a handful of staffers to leave Saban’s powerhouse for Meyer’s new look Jaguars. Among the other former members of the Crimson Tide to head off to Jacksonville are defensive coaches Charlie Strong and Tosh Lupoi.
Strong served alongside Reilly in Tuscaloosa in 2020. The 60-year-old assistant came to Alabama from USF, where he lasted just three seasons at the helm before being fired.
Despite his most recent gig, Strong’s resume is nothing to scoff at. He also has head coaching experience at Louisville (2010-13) and Texas (2014-16). The job in Jacksonville will mark his return to Florida as well as his first time ever at the NFL level.
Reilly will also get the chance to re-unite with defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi. Meyer and the Jaguars brought in the 39-year-old to take over the defensive front in 2021 in late January. Lupoi coached at Alabama from 2014 to 2018 before making the leap to the pros with the Browns. He most recently worked for the Falcons in 2020.
All in all, Meyer’s decision to hire Alabama staffers seems like a safe bet to receive disciplined, well-learnt assistants. Time will tell if the group can adjust to the NFL level and help create a new era in Jacksonville.
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