Alabama assistant set to become Arkansas State head coach

Nate Oats is set to lose his fifth assistant to a head-coaching role.

**Alabama assistant coach Ryan Pannone is set to become the new head coach at Arkansas State**, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein. Pannone will take over for Bryan Hodgson, who recently left for South Florida. Interestingly, Hodgson was also a former Alabama assistant under Nate Oats and was hired by ex-Crimson Tide administrator Jeff Purinton, now Arkansas State’s athletic director.

**Pannone marks the fifth Oats assistant to land a head-coaching job**, joining Hodgson (South Florida), Charlie Henry (Georgia Southern), Antoine Pettway (Kennesaw State), and Austin Claunch (UTSA).

Before joining Alabama in 2023, **Pannone was an assistant for the New Orleans Pelicans** and the head coach of the G-League’s Birmingham Squadron. He also has international coaching experience and is highly regarded for his work ethic and film analysis. Over the past two seasons, Pannone played a key role in shaping Alabama’s offensive scheme, which ranked **No. 2 in offensive efficiency on KenPom.com last season** and sits at No. 4 this year.

**His departure comes just hours before Alabama’s Elite Eight showdown against Duke**, creating a vacancy on Oats’ staff for next season. On Friday, Alabama approved a contract extension and raise for assistant coach Preston Murphy, while **Brian Adams, who joined the staff last summer** after Claunch’s exit, remains in place.