Football
- Title:
- Cornerbacks
- Phone:
- 205-348-3600
Jay Valai (Vuh-LYE) was added to head coach Nick Saban's Alabama coaching staff in February of 2021 to coach the Crimson Tide's cornerbacks.
The Texas native is a former All-Big Ten defensive back at Wisconsin who boasts both collegiate and NFL coaching experience. He must replace All-American Patrick Surtain II in the Alabama defensive backfield in 2021 but welcomes back senior Josh Jobe at the other cornerback spot with both sophomores Malachi Moore and Brian Branch returning at the star or nickel corner.
Valai arrives in Tuscaloosa after one season coaching cornerbacks at the University of Texas for then-defensive coordinator Chris Ash. During his time in Austin, Valai helped the Longhorns' Josh Thompson earn second team All-Big 12 honors after making 28 tackles, with three tackles for loss and an interception. At the opposite corner, D'Shawn Jamison recorded 31 tackles with six pass breakups as Texas ranked third in the league in yards per completion (13.5) and fourth in pass efficiency defense (128.7).
Valai served as cornerbacks coach at Rutgers in 2019 after spending the 2018 season with the Kansas City Chiefs, serving as defensive quality control and assistant defensive backs coach. The Chiefs ranked fifth in the NFL with 16 interceptions and fifth in completion percentage (62.7) while ranking 10th in the league in pass efficiency defense.
He spent the 2016 and 2017 seasons at Georgia as defensive quality control coach, helping the Bulldogs' win the Rose Bowl at the end of the 2017 season and earn a spot in the CFP National Championship Game.
Valai was a four-year letter winner at Wisconsin, where he captained the Badgers 2010 Rose Bowl team. He earned second team All-Big Ten (coaches) honors in 2008 and 2009. He totaled 153 tackles, four forced fumbles and a pair of interceptions in 48 career games. He appeared in four bowl games with the Badgers, including winning the 2010 Big Ten Championship and advancing to the Rose Bowl that same season.
Following his playing career, Valai opened a sports-performance training facility and for six years (2011-16), he worked with professional athletes from the National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Football League (NFL), as well as high school student-athletes.
Valai lettered in football, basketball and track at Colleyville Heritage High School. As a senior in 2005, he was a PrepStar All-American, first-team All-District 5-5A selection and district special teams player of the year. A team captain that year, he was also named the team's co-defensive MVP and its special teams MVP.
A native of Euless, Texas, Valai and his wife Courtney have two daughters, Jayla and Kenzli, and a son, Jaxon.
