Football
- Title:
- Defensive Backs
- Phone:
- 205-348-3600
Derrick Ansley is in his second season on Nick Saban's Crimson Tide coaching staff as the defensive backs coach after rejoining the staff on Feb. 10, 2016. Â
He spent the previous four seasons as a secondary coach at Tennessee (2012) and Kentucky (2013-15) after a two-year stint as a graduate assistant for Alabama during the 2010 and 2011 seasons.
Ansley inherited a talented group in the Alabama secondary for 2016. They helped lead the nation's No. 1-ranked defense in scoring (13.0 ppg) and No. 2 total defense (261.8 ypg). His unit was ninth nationally and second in the SEC in pass efficiency defense and 24th in passing yards allowed.
Senior safety Eddie Jackson led the way until being injured in the eighth game of the season. His play in those games still earned him second team All-SEC recognition. Minkah Fitzpatrick, who started all 13 games in 2016, earned first team All-SEC honors and consensus All-America accolades after moving to safety from corner to replace Jackson. He finished with 56 tackles, a team-high five interceptions and seven pass breakups while taking two interceptions back for touchdowns giving him at Alabama record with four in his career. Corner Marlon Humphrey earned first team All-America honors from the FWAA after finishing with 33 tackles and two interceptions. Ronnie Harrison manned the free safety spot and was second on the team in tackles with 70 while Anthony Averett turned in a strong season at the other corner.
Ansley spent the past three seasons at the University of Kentucky as the cornerbacks coach (2013-14), secondary coach (2015) and was promoted to co-defensive coordinator for the 2016 season before accepting the position with the Crimson Tide.
Ansley, who served as a defensive graduate assistant at Alabama during the 2010 and 2011 seasons, helped the UK defense record a school-record six defensive touchdowns while creating 23 turnovers that ranked second in the SEC in 2015.
He joined the Wildcats' staff after spending the 2012 season as the defensive backs coach at Tennessee where he helped the Volunteers improve their national ranking in interceptions by 30 places. He went to UT in February of 2012 after accepting the position of defensive backs coach at Central Florida in December of 2011.
Ansley's two seasons in Tuscaloosa saw Alabama produce a 22-4 record and the 2011 BCS National Championship. The Crimson Tide went 10-3 in his first season at the Capstone, punctuated by a win over Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl. The Tide went 12-1 to claim the national championship in 2011, featuring the nation's best defense, which ranked No. 1 nationally in scoring defense, total defense, pass defense and pass efficiency defense. He worked with All-Americans Mark Barron, Dre Kirkpatrick and DeQuan Menzie during his time at Alabama.
He spent five seasons coaching at NCAA Division III Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Ala., before taking the graduate assistant position at Alabama. During his tenure with the Hawks, Ansley helped guide the team to its first winning season and the school's first playoff appearance. Huntingdon produced a winning record in four of the five seasons he was on staff with two eight-win campaigns.
The year before Ansley got to Huntingdon, the team had 12 interceptions and 23 pass breakups. Those numbers improved to 15 interceptions and 44 pass breakups in year one. In Ansley's final season with Huntington, the Hawks had 22 interceptions and an impressive 56 pass breakups.
Ansley starred on the gridiron at Troy University in the early 2000s, starting 40 consecutive games for the Trojans. A defensive back by trade, he finished third in the nation in interceptions as a junior in 2003 with nine picks. Ansley then garnered first team All-Sun Belt Conference honors as a senior in 2004, Troy's first season in the league.
He graduated in 2005 from Troy with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism and worked toward a master's degree in sports management in the human environmental sciences college during his time as a graduate assistant at Alabama.
A native of Tallassee, Ala., Ansley and his wife, Alaea, have a daughter, Selena.
