Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer will face questions about his ability to recruit the South. While it would be unfair to compare his work as a recruiter to his predecessor Nick Saban, widely regarded as one of the best in the sport’s history, DeBoer will need to prove that he indoctrinated himself in one of the nation’s hotbeds of talent.

One way DeBoer is squashing concerns appears to be by hiring a well-regarded support staff. On Tuesday, multiple outlets reported that DeBoer hired another respected recruiter. Eron Hodges, who’d spent the past two years at TCU, is set to join DeBoer as an associate director of player personnel. Hodges’ appointment comes days after DeBoer hired Jatavis Sanders as director of recruiting strategy.

Hodges, a veteran of the U.S. Navy, started his coaching career as an Olympics sports strength and conditioning coach at Notre Dame in 2012. He served as a graduate assistant at Kent State from 2013 to 2014. He was a recruiting analyst with Ohio State in 2015, working under Urban Meyer. Hodges also led Purdue’s player personnel department for two seasons before stops at Texas Tech (director of recruiting), Purdue (defensive analyst and recruiting coordinator) and TCU.

Hodges is regarded as “one of the top off-field recruiters in the country” according to 247Sports director of recruiting Steve Wiltfong. 247’s Matt Zenitz was the first to report Hodges’ hire. With the Horned Frogs, Hodges spent last season working with cornerbacks as an assistant cornerbacks coach, per his LinkedIn.

DeBoer — who spoke to media at the Senior Bowl about his staff that has yet to be officially announced by The University — has acknowledged the need to have familiar faces in the region while also staying true to his belief system. Two holdovers from Saban’s on-field staff, Robert Gillespie and Freddie Roach, were retained.

“I think there is (a difference). This level of football in the SEC has been at a high, championship level for a long time. I think every part of the country has their style,” DeBoer said. “Physicality is what wins championships and I think that’s what our heart, that’s a lot of what we do is going to be based on. But football is also football no matter where we go and our stuff will also translate to wherever it’s been.”

247Sports reported two weeks ago that UA’s previously robust support staff will not stay with the program, with notable names like Zach Mettenberger, Ken Whisenhunt and Charlie Strong departing.

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].