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Pete Thamel, Senior College Sports Insider
West Virginia is finalizing a three-year deal to make Oklahoma defensive coordinator Zac Alley the school’s new defensive coordinator, sources told ESPN.
The move reunites Alley, 31, with West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez, whom he has worked with at two prior stops. Alley was with Rodriguez at Jacksonville State for two seasons as the defensive coordinator before going to Oklahoma.
Prior to that, they worked on the staff together at Louisiana-Monroe. At the time, Rodriguez was the offensive coordinator and Alley, then 28, was the youngest defensive coordinator in the FBS.
The move signals a strong investment from West Virginia in Rodriguez’s staff. Per ESPN sources, the deal is expected to put Alley near the top of the market for Big 12 coordinators. He was slated to make an average of $900,000 in his initial Oklahoma contract.
Since Rodriguez has long called the plays on offense, the defensive coordinator hire loomed as the biggest one for the new West Virginia staff. In Alley, they get a marquee young coordinator who has experience with Rodriguez.
With Rodriguez coming back to WVU for a salary that begins with him making $3.5 million in 2025 — which places him at the low end of the Big 12 — it has given West Virginia financial flexibility to put together a strong staff around him.
Alley’s defense had a strong season his only year in Norman. They finished No. 31 nationally in total defense and No. 5 in the SEC.
His 2023 defense at Jacksonville State finished No. 33 in the county in scoring defense (21.2).
Prior to his time at ULM, he worked at Boise State as the school’s special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach under Bryan Harsin from 2019-20.