Jake Long rejoins Alabama football defensive staff after a year with Oregon

A familiar face is returning to Alabama football after a year away.

Jake Long, a former walk-on player, graduate assistant and analyst, is back with the Crimson Tide, he announced on Twitter on Saturday.

He will be a defensive analyst, a source told The Tuscaloosa News. He was a graduate assistant for Oregon in 2022, coaching inside linebackers.

Long, a Vestavia Hills native, was part of the Alabama program as a walk-on defensive player from 2013-16. In 2017 he was a student assistant coach before becoming a graduate assistant from 2018-20. In 2021, he worked as an analyst before joining the Ducks.

Long played or worked under former Alabama defensive coordinators Kirby Smart, Jeremy Pruitt, Tosh Lupoi and Pete Golding.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban is in the process of replacing both his offensive and defensive coordinators. Golding left for the same role under Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss, and Bill O'Brien left to become the New England Patriots offensive coordinator.

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Nick Kelly covers Alabama football and men's basketball for The Tuscaloosa News/USA TODAY Network. Reach him via email: nkelly@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @_NickKelly.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Jake Long back with Alabama football defensive staff after year at Oregon