Alabama football is losing one of the greatest head coaches of all time, Nick Saban. His successor, Kalen DeBoer, sought head coaching experience and SEC ties when building out his staff in Tuscaloosa.

In the last 24 hours, DeBoer has reportedly taken another dip into Power 5 schools to find an ideal candidate. Maurice Linguist, the current head coach at the University of Buffalo, is expected to join DeBoer, likely as a defensive backs coach, per ESPN’s Chris Low and Adam Rittenberg.

Linguist, 39, will join defensive coordinator Kane Wommack, who confirmed his hire to AL.com on Tuesday morning and Freddie Roach, who is reportedly staying at UA as defensive line coach.

Linguist, a former safety at Baylor, worked as a graduate assistant with the Bears in 2007. He had stops at James Madison, Valdosta Stata, Iowa State and Minnesota, all leading defensive backs. Linguist has three years of SEC experience (Mississippi State and Texas A&M), in addition to one year with the Dallas Cowboys.

He was temporarily Michigan’s co-defensive coordinator following his season in the pros, but Buffalo came calling in May and Linguist accepted his first head coaching job. In three years with the Bulls, Linguist is 14-23 with a 2022 Camelia Bowl win over Georgia Southern.

Linguist is also known as an adept recruiter, helping A&M compile multiple top-five ranked classes in 2018 and 2019. Per 247Sports, Linguist is credited with multiple four-star commitments and one five-star, safety Jaylon Jones. Many of Linguist’s ties are in his home state of Texas but also throughout the South.

“I understand there needs to be some SEC ties, some southeast ties that can help bridge the gap of maybe my experiences here. There are experiences, having been West Coast and Indiana and some of the recruiting,” DeBoer told reporters on Saturday after his introduction. “But it’s not, I don’t want to lead you on that there’s not every coach’s phone number in my phone right now. Just gotta put myself where the right people are around me.

“I will say this, I wasn’t a West Coast guy, either. I’d never been to the West Coast until just a few years ago and coached at two universities out there. I think there’s an ability to adapt that I feel confident into where we’re at. I understand what the SEC is all about.”

His arrival not only gives a point of contact for star freshman safety Caleb Downs — who has yet to publically comment on his future with the program — but a crucial start to rebuilding Alabama’s secondary.

Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold are set to be NFL Draft picks. Trey Amos, Kristian Story, Jake Pope, Antonio Kite, Dezz Ricks and Earl Little Jr. all entered the transfer portal. The exodus was followed by Travaris Robinson, who multiple outlets reported nearly returned to UA after an interview with DeBoer last weekend.

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