An abrupt departure sent Kalen DeBoer scrambling for a new assistant after co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers’ coach JaMarcus Shephard left for Oregon State. Alabama has finally landed on a replacement who comes with 23 years of coaching experience. Not only that, the hiring comes with a powerful seal of approval from the NFL.

“He’s an incredible coach who’s looking to not only make you a better player on the field, but to make you a man,” Los Angeles Chargers’ #9 Tre Harris said today about Bama’s new WRs coach, Derrick Nix. “One thing he always harped on was that football does end at some point. You have to be a family man, and you have to be a man of god.”

Tre Harris and Derrick Nix’s relationship goes back to their Ole Miss days. Nix started as Ole Miss’s RBs coach in 2008 and remained in the same position until Lane Kiffin arrived in Oxford in 2020. Nix switched to WRs coaching and was subsequently promoted to the associate head coach position. In his four seasons with the Rebels, Nix produced four NFL draft picks.

Harris came in as a transfer from Louisiana Tech to Ole Miss in 2023. In his first campaign under Nix, Harris amassed 985 receiving yards in the season. The next season, Nix moved to Auburn. However, Harris continued his growth and produced his best season with 1,030 yards. He was then selected in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft by the Chargers.

Harris’s success at Ole Miss is exactly the kind of player development Alabama hopes Nix will bring to Tuscaloosa for WRs like Ryan Willaims, a sentiment echoed by head coach Kalen DeBoer.

“Derrick Nix adds extensive SEC experience to our group—both in coaching and on the recruiting side,” Kalen DeBoer said. “He’s very familiar with our current coaches, and he’s also an Alabama native who understands the state, its fans, and the passion surrounding Alabama football. I’m excited to add Derrick to our staff, and I know he can’t wait to get to work.”

At Auburn, Derrick Nix served as the Tigers’ OC and RBs coach. Even though the team struggled under Hugh Freeze, the offense still averaged 430 yards per game. Cam Coleman stood out in his freshman year. In 2025, the wide receiver managed 708 yards. But the results didn’t improve, and Freeze was fired by the program. The new head coach, Alex Golesh, didn’t retain Nix’s services.

Derrick Nix opens up about his plans in Alabama

The wide receivers were the shining light of an inconsistent Alabama offense in Kalen DeBoer’s second year at the program. Although Ryan Williams didn’t match his freshman hype in his sophomore season, Germie Bernard and Isaiah Horton impressed throughout the year. The new coach has a plan for the new-look WR room at Tuscaloosa.

“I tell them I want them to have an All-America career, be first-rounders, and have a 10-year career in the NFL,” Nix detailed his plans at Alabama. “But I’m more proud of a guy who comes back later; he’s got a wife and a kid, and he can support himself, and he learned something from me other than just playing football that he can use in his everyday values with his family.”

At Alabama, Nix will now have illustrious names to coach, including Ryan Williams and Lotzeir Brooks. He will also be working with key transfer portal additions like Noah Roger and high school recruit Cedarian Morgan, adding to the depth of talent in the receiver room.