Texas A&M first-year head coach Mike Elko made a splash hire on Tuesday night, reportedly signing wide receiver coach Holmon Wiggins away from Alabama for the same role.

Wiggins, 43, joined Nick Saban’s staff in 2019 and quickly became one of the program’s best recruiters. His departure now leaves Saban with two holes to fill: Wiggins, who was promoted in 2021 to assistant head coach of the offense; and Coleman Hutzler, who’s now Jeff Lebby’s defensive coordinator at Mississippi State.

Billy Liucci of TexAgs.com was the first to report the news.

Wiggins started his career at New Mexico, his alma mater. He made stops at Illinois State, Tulsa, Memphis and Virginia Tech before the Los Angeles, Calif., native found his way to Tuscaloosa. During his tenure, Alabama procured and produced multiple first-round NFL wide receivers, including Heisman Award winner DeVonta Smith.

Wiggins was paid $875,000 last fall, per the USA Today coaches salary database. That figure ranked 82nd nationally among Division-I coaches. Alabama’s total assistant salary ranked third in the nation behind Georgia and Ohio State.

As a recruiter, Wiggins has been celebrated for his ability to connect with prospects before at his position and from his home state. He was part of the pursuit of five-star quarterback and mid-year enrollee Julian Sayin (of Carlsbad), as well as Saraland wide receiver Ryan Williams, who has yet to sign his national letter of intent and is being pursued by Auburn and Texas.

Wiggins was on the field consoling Kendrick Law and Kobe Prentice following Alabama’s 27-20 overtime loss to Michigan in the Rose Bowl. With the addition of the transfer portal opening for UA players, it’ll be a busy few days of turnover in Tuscaloosa.

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