Former Auburn Offensive Coordinator Derrick Nix Hired by Alabama

Alabama lost wide receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard after Shephard accepted the head coaching job at Oregon State, opening a spot on the Crimson Tide's coaching staff. Alabama has now filled the position, hiring former Auburn offensive coordinator and running backs coach Derrick Nix to be Alabama's wide receivers coach, per CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz.

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Nix, a 45-year-old from Attalla, Alabama, was Auburn's offensive coordinator in 2024 and 2025 under former Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze, in addition to being the Tigers' running backs coach. The Tigers' leading rushers under Nix were Jarquez Hunter in 2024 (1,201 yards, eight touchdowns) and Jeremiah Cobb in 2025 (969 yards, five touchdowns). He took over as the primary play caller at Auburn following Hugh Freeze's firing after a 10-3 loss to Kentucky.

In the three games he was the primary play caller for Auburn, the Tigers averaged 507 yards per game, 42.3 points per game, 213 rushing yards per game, and 302 passing yards per game against Vanderbilt (loss), Mercer (win), and Alabama (loss).

Nix has worked with several coaches on Alabama's staff. He was Kane Wommack's position coach in 2007 at Southern Miss, coached alongside Freddie Roach and Jason Jones when all three were at Ole Miss.

Nix interviewed with Alabama last week and was linked to open spots on Pete Golding's full-time staff at Ole Miss. The Crimson Tide landed the elite coach, and he will be the wide receivers coach for Alabama next season.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.