🏈 Reports: James Willis hired as LB coach.

[TerryP]

Yes, that James Willis...the one at Auburn.

http://rolltidebama.com/blog/?p=987

 

[AlabamaMan]

He's solid.

 

[TerryP]

He's solid.

For all of those fretting about Mobile, here's your answer. He was Thompson's main "competition" there for recruits.

:lol: Great freakin' hire!!!

 

[TerryP]

Auburn linebackers coach James Willis has accepted an offer for the same position at Alabama, BamaOnLine.com has confirmed.

Sources told BOL Willis was in Tuscaloosa Tuesday to interview for the position vacated by Lance Thompson, who coached outside linebackers for the Crimson Tide until leaving for a similar position at Tennessee last week.

Willis' hire makes sense from a recruiting standpoint. The Mobile area, often the state's most fertile recruiting ground, was Willis' recruiting responsibility for the Tigers, and Thompson was Alabama's Mobile recruiter.

Efforts to reach Willis were unsuccessful.

Alabama recently hired Sal Sunseri, who had been the defensive line coach with the Carolina Panthers for six years, to replace departed assistant Kevin Steele. Sources have told BOL that Sunseri was hired to coach inside linebackers, Steele's former role.

Willis played at Auburn as a linebacker from 1990-1992 before a six-year NFL career that included action with the Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks. His coaching career began at Auburn as a graduate assistant, followed by stops as a linebackers coach at Rhode Island, Temple, and, since 1996, Auburn. Willis enjoyed a decorated collegiate playing career, making 344 career tackles at AU with first-team All-SEC honors in 1992. He was also voted to Auburn's 1990s All-Decade team.

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James Willis new LB coach

Alabama expected to hire Auburn coach James Willis as its new assistant
by Ian R. Rapoport -- Birmingham News
Wednesday January 21, 2009, 5:11 PM


Alabama's new assistant, James Willis
Alabama's quest to fill its coaching staff is over. And coach Nick Saban found his final assistant coach from an unlikely place -- Auburn.
The Crimson Tide will announce that it has hired James Willis, who has coached linebackers for the Tigers since 2006. Here is Willis' bio.

He joins newly hired linebackers coach Sal Sunseri, who agreed to arrive at UA a few nights ago.

 

[BAMAFSTBACK]

Man that's a whole bunch of Auburn love to be joing Bama aint it? Talk about Benedict Arnold...........

 

[TerryP]

Man that's a whole bunch of Auburn love to be joing Bama aint it? Talk about Benedict Arnold...........

Who fired the first shot?

 

[elbatider]

Yes, that James Willis...the one at Auburn.

Wow, well at least we know he isn't going to pull a Lance Thompson and try to steal his former school's recruits being they don't have any.

 

[imported_Porter]

I wonder what Antonio Coleman is thinking... Willis was the ONLY reason he came back for his Sr. season.

 

[TerryP]

I wonder what Antonio Coleman is thinking... Willis was the ONLY reason he came back for his Sr. season.

He's one of a handful I wonder what they are thinking right now...

 

[bamabarney]

Dang, I'm off the rest of the week. I just wounder how ticked off the Barner's will be at work over this. They really wanted him to stay on Cheese nips staff. Oh well, I guess he saw better things in the future in T-Town.

 

[elbatider]

Chez responds...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw9oX-kZ_9k[/youtube]

 

[BigAl]

Saban is a machine. I like it.

 

[Guest]

He's solid.

For all of those fretting about Mobile, here's your answer. He was Thompson's main "competition" there for recruits.

:lol: Great freakin' hire!!!

Yeah, I thought he was the one we always laughed at for getting burned by Lance Thompson. The one that didn't work hard enough in Mobile...didn't come around like the Alabama coaches. Maybe I'm not remembering correctly though.

Maybe it had more to do with Tubs than anything else. Heck, I'm happy about the hire right now just to watch everyone at auburn squirm. My husband was downright giddy when Willis was retained. I really thought he was playing a joke on me when he told me tonight. He's not happy.

 

[Guest]

Well I'm excited! Welcome to the real side of Alabama football coach Willis.

 

[planomateo]

my new facebook status --- "is thinking James Willis looks better in Crimson - Roll Tide Barners "

 

[Crimson Hawk]

If anything, this should help solidify us with Tana Patrick & I'm sure Atchison is happy. It will be interesting to hear the other LB's take on this, especially Nico.

 

[Argo]

Hiring Willis was an excellent move by Saban. Willis already knows the Mobile area and has in-roads built. He's going to find that area a lot easier to recruit with a crimson shirt on.

As CrimsonHawk has stated, the linebackers have to be excited by the hire.

 

[Guest]

I don't have a Scout account but the thread titles on the Auburn Scout forum are hilarious and I can't stop laughing :lol:

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=6&f=1010

Such thread titles as:

A call to hire Kenny Stabler has Auburn Recruiting Coordinator!

:lol: :lol: :lol:

WILLIS JUST SPIT IN AUBURN'S FACE!!!!!!!

And my fav:

Is there any doubt that Saban is going for our throat now?

;tr a$#

 

[imported_RollTideRandy]

Check out this:

http://alabama.rivals.com/viewcoach.asp?coach=1755&sport=1&year=2009

Already has a relationship with...

Trent Richardson
Nico Johnson
AJ McCarron
Brandon Moore

I like that.

 

[Guest]

I would like to hear what Pat Dye thinks :wink: