Indiana fans tuning into the Rose Bowl are going to see a whole lot of familiar faces - just not on the sideline they’re used to.
Alabama’s coaching staff is loaded with names that once roamed the halls in Bloomington, thanks in large part to head coach Kalen DeBoer. Before his meteoric rise through the college football ranks, DeBoer made a one-year stop at Indiana in 2019 as the Hoosiers’ offensive coordinator.
That season helped launch his trajectory to Washington and eventually Tuscaloosa. And along the way, he’s brought several Indiana connections with him - some he hired, others were already waiting for him in crimson.
Here’s a breakdown of the Indiana-to-Alabama coaching pipeline that’s converging at the Rose Bowl:
Kane Wommack - Defensive Coordinator
Wommack’s name still carries weight in Bloomington. He served as Indiana’s defensive coordinator from 2019 to 2020 under Tom Allen, overlapping with DeBoer during that pivotal 2019 season.
Before that, he was the Hoosiers’ linebackers coach in 2018, after a stint coaching the same position at South Alabama. His ties to Tom Allen go even deeper - the two worked together at Ole Miss in the early 2010s.
After Indiana’s breakout 2020 campaign, Wommack took the head coaching job at South Alabama. Fast forward to 2024, and DeBoer brought him on to run Alabama’s defense - a move that’s added both familiarity and continuity to his staff.
Jason Jones - Defensive Backs Coach
Jones’ path to Alabama also runs through Bloomington. He coached safeties at Indiana from 2020 to 2022, following a year at FAU coaching cornerbacks.
After his time with the Hoosiers, he spent two seasons at North Carolina coaching corners, joining up with another former Indiana assistant, Charlton Warren. DeBoer hired Jones this past offseason, bringing him into a secondary that’s long been a cornerstone of Alabama’s defensive identity.
Nick Sheridan - Co-Offensive Coordinator & Quarterbacks Coach
Sheridan is another name that should ring a bell for Indiana faithful. He was in Bloomington for five seasons, coaching quarterbacks from 2017-18, shifting to tight ends in 2019, and then stepping into the offensive coordinator role in 2020-21.
When DeBoer took over at Washington, he brought Sheridan along as his tight ends coach. That partnership continued in Tuscaloosa, where Sheridan initially coached quarterbacks before being elevated to co-offensive coordinator.
That move came after DeBoer reunited with Ryan Grubb - his longtime OC at Washington - and slotted Sheridan into a shared leadership role in the offense.
David Ballou - Director of Sports Performance
Ballou’s connection to Indiana runs even deeper - he’s not just a former coach, he’s an alum. A fullback for the Hoosiers from 1997 to 1999, Ballou earned his degree in kinesiology before launching a strength and conditioning career that started at Avon High School in Indiana.
He spent over a decade there before moving on to IMG Academy and then Notre Dame. Tom Allen brought him back to Bloomington in 2018 as Indiana’s strength coach, a role he held for two seasons before Nick Saban hired him away to Alabama in 2020.
Ballou has remained with the Crimson Tide ever since, helping shape one of the most physically dominant programs in the country.
So when Alabama takes the field at the Rose Bowl, it won’t just be the SEC powerhouse on display - it’ll be a reunion of sorts for a group of coaches whose careers were shaped, in part, by their time in Bloomington. From the weight room to the press box, Indiana’s fingerprints are all over this Alabama staff. And for Hoosiers fans watching from afar, it’s a reminder that while the jerseys may be different, the roots run deep.