UB football head coach Maurice ‘Mo’ Linguist has left his position at UB to join new Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer’s staff, UB announced in a statement. He is expected to become the team’s co-defensive coordinator and work with the team's defensive secondary, according to ESPN.
Adam Ritternberg and Chris Lowe at ESPN report that Linguist is the second sitting FBS head coach to join the staff at Alabama, following Kane Wommack from South Alabama.
Linguist produced a 14-23 record in a three-year span at UB, posting only one season over .500. In his only winning season as head coach, UB defeated Georgia Southern 23-21 in the Camellia Bowl in 2022.
Linguist played college football at Baylor and spent time coaching at Michigan, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Minnesota, Iowa State and the Dallas Cowboys, among others.
He becomes the second UB head coach to leave for Alabama in recent years, after Nate Oats left in 2019 to become the head coach of the men’s basketball team.
UB Athletic Director Mark Alnutt released a statement about Linguist’s departure, saying, “I’d like to thank Coach Linguist for his leadership of the UB football program over the last three seasons. We wish Maurice and his family the best in the future.”
He added that a national search has begun for Linguist’s successor. Alnutt will now have to hire a head coach of a major sport for the fifth time in five years.
After multiple players have already entered the transfer portal, including former starting quarterback Cole Snyder – who transferred to in-conference rival Eastern Michigan – the UB football program will likely see serious turnover before returning to play next fall.
The sports desk can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com
Evan Hilbert is an assistant sports editor at The Spectrum. He also is a three-season student-athlete with UB’s DI cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track team. He’s a fan of the Milwaukee Bucks, Newcastle United F.C., and the Buffalo Bills.
