Football
- Title:
- Defensive Backs
- Phone:
- 205-348-3600
Karl Scott begins his first year on head coach Nick Saban's coaching staff in 2018 after joining the program in January to serve as the secondary coach.
Scott will be charged with replacing five starters in the defensive secondary from the Tide's 2017 national championship team. Off to the NFL are Minkah Fitzpatrick, Ronnie Harrison, Anthony Averett, Levi Wallace and Tony Brown.
Scott will have the services of redshirt junior safety Deionte Thompson, who started both games of the 2018 College Football Playoff, along with the likes of Trevon Diggs, Shyheim Carter, Xavier McKinney, Daniel Wright and Jared Mayden. The Crimson Tide also signed an impressive group of incoming players in the secondary, including junior college transfer Saivion Smith along with high school standouts Patrick Surtain Jr., Josh Jobe, Jalyn Armour-Davis and Eddie Smith.
Scott spent the last two seasons as the secondary coach at Texas Tech before being named the defensive coordinator at Louisiana-Lafayette in late December. His secondary at Texas Tech this past season posted an impressive turnaround, helping produce 29 turnovers, including 14 interceptions. He mentored two All-Big 12 selections in Jah'Shawn Johnson and Justus Parker.
Prior to his time at Texas Tech, Scott spent one season as the safeties coach at Louisiana Tech under head coach Skip Holtz. He helped the Bulldogs to a 9-4 record in 2015 and a second-place finish in the Western Division of Conference USA. Louisiana Tech defeated Arkansas State in the New Orleans Bowl as the Bulldogs finished eighth nationally in defensive touchdowns after forcing 22 turnovers, including 13 interceptions.
Scott worked at Southeastern Louisiana for three years, serving as the defensive coordinator in 2014 and linebackers coach in 2012-13. During his tenure with the Lions, he helped lead the program to back-to-back Southland Conference Championships (2013-14) and two NCAA Football Championship Division playoff appearances.
His 2014 defense at Southeastern led the Southland Conference in total defense while ranking seventh in the FCS. The Lions also led the nation in pass efficiency defense (94.3), and ranked fifth in red zone defense, eighth in scoring defense (17.7 ppg) and 11th in turnovers gained (28).
Isiah Corbett and Harlan Miller were two mainstays on Scott's defense at Southeastern Louisiana, both earning All-America honors in 2014, while seven other defenders – Denzel Thompson, Jacob Newman, Tyler Stoddard, A.J. Bowen, Drew Misita, Jordan Batiste and Micah Eugene – joined the pair on the All-Southland Conference teams.
Scott's linebacker unit was a key factor in Southeastern's 2013 Southland Conference championship campaign. His corps benefited from the emergence of Cqulin Hubert, who was named Southland Defensive Player of the Year after recording a team-leading 90 tackles, including 11.0 that went for a loss.
Before his time at Southeastern Louisiana, Scott served as recruiting coordinator, defensive backs coach and linebackers coach for four years at Tusculum College from 2008-11.
He made an immediate impact at Tusculum, as he mentored two all-conference selections in Justin Scott and Jarvis Littlejohn. Scott collected all-region honors following the 2008 season, establishing new school records for single-season (22) and career (51) tackles for loss while finishing the season with 113 tackles and 277 for his career.
Scott's coaching career began at Delta State as a graduate assistant in 2007. He coached with Pete Golding, who joined the Tide's staff in December of 2017, at Southeastern in 2012-13 and at Tusculum from 2008-09.
A native of Houston, Scott played at McMurry University in Abilene, Texas, where he earned his degree in exercise and sports studies in 2007. Scott and his wife Taron have a daughter, Kina Bailey.
