Alabama senior special assistant to the head coach Sal Sunseri was announced Friday as Colorado’s new defensive tackles coach on Deion Sanders’ staff.

The move had been expected for multiple weeks. Colorado’s interest in Sunseri was reported by On3 Sports earlier this month, and Sunseri’s name was removed from Alabama’s online directory last week.

It was the second stint on Nick Saban’s Alabama staff for Sunseri, who first served as linebackers coach from 2009-11 before re-joining the program in 2019 as outside linebackers coach. He was moved last season to an off-field role that included oversight of the transfer portal, Saban said.

Sunseri’s new role at Colorado reunites him with Charles Kelly, the Buffaloes’ new defensive coordinator who previously served as Alabama’s safeties coach. It also returns Sunseri to on-field coaching.

“Congrats dad! Where he belongs… on the field!!” tweeted Sunseri’s son Vinnie, a former Alabama player and current New England Patriots assistant coach.

Coleman Hutzler has served as Alabama’s outside linebackers coach since last season, and Saban hired former NFL coach Ken Whisenhunt last month as a special assistant after Drew Svoboda left that role this offseason to become North Texas’ special teams coordinator. Saban has two other special assistants currently on staff in Joe Pendry and Todd Watson.

Sunseri is a longtime college assistant who has never served as a head coach but was Tennessee’s defensive coordinator for one season in 2012.

Mike Rodak is an Alabama beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mikerodak.