TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama’s defensive line doesn’t return a lot of experience.

But the new coach leading the Crimson Tide’s defensive front has brought plenty of knowledge into the building. Through five spring practices, his new players have certainly noticed.

“Coach Kool, he’s a great coach,” senior defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs said Thursday. “(He’s) coming from Miami, he’s been in the SEC -- he coached at Missouri. Missouri has a lot of players in the league. He’s a great coach. He knows what he’s doing.”

Craig Kuligowski joined Nick Saban’s 2018 staff in February as Alabama’s defensive line coach and associate head coach. He spent the previous two seasons at Miami, the previous 15 at Missouri and the previous eight at Toledo as an on-field position coach.

And on top of having 25 years of coaching experience, one of six new assistants has a history with Saban.

A 4-year standout at Toledo (1987-90) as an offensive tackle, named first-team All-MAC two straight years, Kuligowski saw first-year head coach Nick Saban take over the Toledo program in 1990 -- his senior season -- and lead the Rockets to a MAC championship.

“I have known Craig for a long time, going all the way back to my first head coaching job at Toledo when he was one of our starting offensive tackles,” Saban said in a February statement. “He is an outstanding football coach who will bring great energy to our program. Craig does a tremendous job of developing players and has proven to be an exceptional recruiter.”

His reputation for developing players is arguably Kuligowski’s most well-known attribute.

Prior to his time in Miami, Kuligowski coached Missouri’s defensive line for head coach Gary Pinkel for 15 years as the second-longest tenured assistant coach in the league. During his time in Columbia, he produced 24 all-conference players along the defensive front, four first-round NFL Draft picks from 2009 to his departure and 12 NFL Draft picks since 2002.



Notable names that progressed under Kuligowski’s tutelage were first-round draft picks Aldon Smith, Sheldon Richardson and Shane Ray. That prowess to place players in the league on a consistent basis is something that immediately stood out to his latest pupils.

Pupils that, outside of Buggs and Raekwon Davis, don’t have a lot of experience entering 2018. But with Kuligowski’s background, the younger players are eager to learn.

“When you have a coach like that who has produced that many first-rounders, you know that you hired the best,” Buggs said of his new coach. “He’s coming along and learning the new system very well. We’re all just getting along, and we’re going to be great this year.”

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