Former Alabama DL Named HC

You know you've coached for a while when former players are becoming head coaches at multiple levels of football.

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This was the reality Nick Saban faced this offseason. Despite his retirement, the impact of Coach Saban was felt across football. Two-time BCS National Champion Dont'a Hightower was named linebackers coach of the New England Patriots after playing the position for 11 years for the organization, including winning three Super Bowls.

Another two-time BCS National Champion was named as a coach but at the high school level. Nick Gentry, who was the defensive coordinator for Pell City High School last season, was named the head coach of Pell City High School after the departure of Rush Propst.

Gentry was a member of Nick Saban's first recruiting class at Alabama. He was named the interim after Propst's departure, but the Pell City Board of Education voted unanimously this week to remove the interim tag.

Gentry was introduced as the team's official head coach by athletic director Marty Smith on Thursday.

Gentry's coaching career saw stops at Jacksonville State, UAB, and the USFL before settling in at Pell City. The Panthers are trying to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Gentry is the program's seventh head coach since 2012.

Pell City opens its season against Pelham on Aug. 23.

Wyatt Fulton is the Brand Manager and DME for Tide 100.9, serving as an on-air host from 11:00 a.m. to noon CT every weekday and Sports Reporter covering Alabama Football and Alabama Men's Basketball. For more coverage, follow him at @FultonW_ on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.