TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Jay Nunez hasn't been getting much sleep this week. He's very familiar with Alabama's opponent this Saturday The Alabama special assistant to the head coach and special teams coordinator is in his first season with the Crimson Tide after spending the last two years at Oklahoma.

"I haven't slept at all," Nunez said after Wednesday's practice. "It's, I don't want to say emotional, but I grew up in Oklahoma. My senior year, literally played Friday nights, got in the car with my best friend for 11 a.m. kickoffs. Drove three hours. Watched the games and came back. Working there for two years was literally a dream come true."

After a lot of prayer and consideration, Nunez joined Kalen DeBoer's staff at Alabama this offseason despite working at his dream school. DeBoer and Nunez had never actually coached together at the same school at the same time, but Nunez worked at Southern Illinois and Eastern Michigan in the years following DeBoer's time at both schools. The two met at a coaching clinic once at Northwestern.

" I'm a big believer in God tells you where he wants you to be if you just shut up and listen, which is very, very had to do most the time," Nunez said. "I followed him [DeBoer] so many places. We just knew so many people. When it came up, it was just kind of like this makes a lot of sense for where I'm at in life, where I think God wants me in life. But it was hard. Like I said, I grew up a fan [of Oklahoma.] Coach Venables -- I owe him the world. He pulled me out of Eastern Michigan to go home and coach at a school like that. It wasn't easy, but ultimately after three nights of prayer and not much sleep, it was what I felt like I needed to do."

There's a lot more involved with special teams than just coaching up the punters and kickers. As a special teams coordinator, Nunez has the unique opportunity to work with nearly every player on the team outside of the quarterbacks. Between the punt and kick coverage teams, return teams and field goal units, there are many moving parts and players he coaches up.

"Coaching the special teams, every player is in those meetings at some point throughout the week," DeBoer said. "He does a good job of just relating to them. He keeps them excited about special teams and understanding the significance, not just to our team now but the value it can bring them as they continue their careers well beyond their days here at Alabama. He's done a great job but I had identified him over the years as a guy that's done the right things and gone through the ladder of coaching at different levels. Just really pleased with what he's doing for us right now on special teams."

Nunez also worked with special teams at Oklahoma. When he accepted the Alabama job, he was able to talk to the specialists before he left Norman, but not some of ther position players who worked on special tems. He's looking forward to connecting with guys like Sooner safety Robert Spears-Jennings and defensive backs Billy Bowman Jacobe Johnson.

There's no question Saturday will be filled with some reunions for Nunez who described it as bittersweet. But the first play of every game requires his full attention starting with the kickoff, and Nunez will be locked in with the Crimson Tide.

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