MOBILE, Ala. – After serving on a staff that helped lead Alabama to back-to-back Bowl Championship Series national championships, Kevin Sherrer has been named the new defensive coordinator at the University of South Alabama.  The announcement was made by Jaguar head coach Joey Jones Friday.

“Kevin is one of the smartest coaches I have been around, he really understands the game from top to bottom,” Jones explained.  “He has put together a great résumé winning a couple of state championships at Hoover High School before going to Alabama and learning from — in my opinion — the best in the business about defense the last three years.  He was in every defensive meeting, and was very involved in game planning and watching practice tape, so Kevin understands that system.

“Add to that that he is a great man who cares about young men, and he is a great staff guy who understands how to be part of a team.  It was those qualities that made me think he is a great fit for us at South Alabama.”

“What coach Jones has done so far and the strides that have been made since starting the program made the opportunity to come down here intriguing,” said Sherrer.  “I had been down here before and seen the facilities, and it is a great area to live.  I’m looking forward to helping coach Jones and the rest of the staff win some more games and go to the next level, to building on the success that they have already experienced here.”

As director of player development the last three years at Alabama, Sherrer’s responsibilities included assisting Crimson Tide student-athletes with academics, community outreach and their personal lives.  During his tenure, UA posted a 35-5 (87.5%) mark while winning the BCS national title each of the last two seasons and the 2012 Southeastern Conference championship.  The Crimson Tide finished 13-1 this fall after defeating Notre Dame 42-14 Monday in the national championship game, while they claimed the first of two straight national titles with a 21-0 victory over then No. 1 Louisiana State.  In his first season with the program, Alabama ended the year 10-3 following a 49-7 defeat of Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl.

“A lot of the stuff we are doing on defense we got from Kevin and the staff at Alabama,” Jones stated.  “He supplied us with a lot of information in meetings with our defensive staff the last couple of years; a lot of the terminologies we use come from Alabama, so I think it will be a very smooth transition for our players.”

Prior to joining the staff at Alabama, Sherrer was an assistant coach at Hoover (Ala.) High for five years, including serving as defensive coordinator the final three.  In his first season on the staff the Buccaneers claimed the state 6A championship, a feat they would repeat in 2009.  Sherrer was also the defensive backs coach at Spain Park (Ala.) High School from 2001-04, and got his start in the coaching ranks as an assistant at Tuscaloosa County (Ala.) High during the 1996 and ’97 seasons; he helped lead the latter to the state 6A championship in his second year on the staff as well.

He was also a graduate assistant at Alabama from 1998-2000, assisting on defense while also helping to coordinate scout teams, video breakdown and on-campus recruiting.  The Tide won the 1999 SEC title and played in the Orange Bowl that season, also participating in the Music City Bowl during that three-year span.

Sherrer was a tight end for the Crimson Tide from 1993-95, during which time Alabama recorded a 29-7-1 (79.7%) overall mark while winning the SEC West Division title twice.  UA ended the 1993 campaign 9-3-1 after defeating North Carolina 24-10 in the Gator Bowl, and the next season put together a 12-1 record following a 24-17 victory over Ohio State in the Citrus Bowl to end the year.

He is a 1996 graduate of Alabama with a degree in physical education, and he earned his master’s degree in higher education administration from the school in 2000.  Sherrer and his wife Carrie have twin sons, Kaleb and Kyle.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

—USA—