Zac Alley, the 30-year-old defensive coordinator at Jacksonville State who spent time under Brent Venables at Clemson, is expected to be named Oklahoma’s next DC following the program’s parting with Ted Roof.
NORMAN — Brent Venables wasted little time in filling the defensive coordinator opening on Oklahoma’s staff.
The Sooners are expected to hire Jacksonville State defensive coordinator Zac Alley, who spent seven years on the support staff at Clemson during Venables’ time as defensive coordinator for the Tigers, according to 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz. The 30-year-old Alley is one of the rising stars in the coaching industry, making an appearance on the 247Sports “30 Under 30” list in 2021.
A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Alley attended Clemson and was a student assistant from 2011-14 before becoming a graduate assistant for the program and serving in that role from 2015-18. The final seven of his eight years at his alma mater were during Venables’ tenure overseeing the defense on Dabo Swinney’s staff.
Since leaving Clemson, Alley has quickly worked his way up the coaching ranks, already serving as a defensive coordinator at two different Group of Five programs. He spent the 2021 season as defensive coordinator at Louisiana-Monroe before joining Rich Rodriguez’s staff at Jacksonville State and serving in that same role the last two seasons.
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He oversaw the Gamecocks’ defense as the program made the move from FCS to FBS this past season. Under Alley’s watch, Jacksonville State’s defense flourished in 2023. The unit finished 33rd among FBS teams in scoring, allowing just 21.2 points per game, as well as eighth in turnovers forced, with 25. JSU also ranked 12th nationally in yards allowed per play (4.82), 22nd in third-down defensive efficiency while holding opponents to a 32.68% conversion rate and 35th in red-zone touchdown efficiency, limiting teams to touchdowns on 54.55% of their trips inside the Jacksonville State 20-yard line.
Prior to his time at Jacksonville State, Alley helped revitalize the defense at ULM, which was winless the year before he was hired but finished 4-8 during his lone season on staff. During that 2021 campaign, Alley helped turn around what was the nation’s 125th-ranked run defense as the Warhawks finished 69th nationally against the run. ULM’s defense also improved its national standing in 11 of the 14 key defensive categories during Alley’s one season with the program.
Along with his three years of experience as a defensive coordinator, Alley has a background in coaching linebackers. He worked with linebackers and defensive tackles during his time at Clemson, was the outside linebackers coach at Boise State from 2019-20 and then oversaw that position as defensive coordinator at ULM in 2021 and the last two years at Jacksonville State.
Alley replaces Ted Roof as defensive coordinator at Oklahoma after the program and the 60-year-old coaching veteran mutually agreed to part ways Thursday afternoon following two seasons. Alley was making $213,800 this season as Jacksonville State’s defensive coordinator, according to USA Today’s assistant coaches salary database, which made him the 653rd-highest paid assistant in college football this season.
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