Whisenhunt joins Crimson Tide as special assistant to Saban

Former NFL coach Ken Whisenhunt has joined Alabama's football staff as the special assistant to head coach Nick Saban.

Whisenhunt's name appeared in Alabama's staff directory Wednesday night. He spent the past two seasons as an offensive analyst at Penn State. The former Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans head coach last held an on-field role in 2019, when he finished a four-year tenure as the Chargers offensive coordinator.

Whisenhunt began his coaching career in the SEC as Vanderbilt's tight ends coach in 1995 and 1996. He then began a lengthy career in the NFL, going 48-71 in eight seasons as a head coach. Whisenhunt had two stints as Chargers offensive coordinator and three years as Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator.

The 60-year-old replaces Drew Svoboda, who left Alabama after two seasons to become special teams coordinator at North Texas. Whisenhunt's son-in-law, Zach Mettenberger, is an Alabama analyst and a former quarterback at Georgia, LSU and the NFL.