Miami now looking to fill both coordinator jobs as Steele leaves for Alabama, per reports

After just one season with the Miami Hurricanes, Mario Cristobal is already looking to find two new coordinators, as Kevin Steele is leaving for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Steele’s departure to become Alabama’s defensive coordinator, as reported by ESPN, comes less than two weeks after Miami fired Josh Gattis, creating a vacancy at offensive coordinator.

The coordinators were headliners to a star-studded coaching staff Cristobal put together ahead of his debut season in South Florida.

Last year, the Hurricanes failed to qualify for a bowl game for the first time since the 2007 college football season, leaving Cristobal in search of major improvements ahead of Year 2. With Gattis, Miami’s offense badly regressed, prompting Cristobal to part ways with the former Broyles Award winner. With Steele, the defense did not improve from prior seasons, but expectations were lower on his side of the ball and the Hurricanes weren’t actively looking to move from Steele, 64.

The 64-year-old coach is now reuniting with Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban after working for him in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on two prior occasions.

In all, Miami now has three openings on its coaching staff. Frank Ponce also left to become the offensive coordinator for the Appalachian State Mountaineers after one season as the quarterbacks coach in Coral Gables. It was a return to the same position Ponce held before leaving for the Hurricanes.

Early candidates to replace Steele include Charlie Partridge, who is currently the defensive line coach and assistant head coach for the Pittsburgh Panthers, and linebackers coach Charlie Strong. The 62-year-old position coach was the Florida Gators’ defensive coordinator for their 2006 and 2008 national championships, and was also a two-time Big East Conference Coach of the Year with the Louisville Cardinals.

Cristobal, 52, effectively has about a month to fill both vacancies before spring practices begin in March.