Nick Saban’s Alabama football staff is going through its annual exercise of job offers and promotions that could lead key coaches to leave Tuscaloosa.
The annual Alabama football coaching carousel is turning. It just never ends. What Nick Saban builds, other programs want. An annual shake-up of Nick Saban’s staff appears to be happening again. Who goes and who stays may not be known for a few weeks. Saban prefers any attrition to occur after the last Signing Day in February. Unfortunately, even Nick cannot control the schedule.
The latest exit may come by Crimson Tide Offensive Coordinator, Steve Sarkisian becoming the head coach at Mississippi State. There are reports on Twitter Sark has been offered a $14M deal with a $4.5M pool for hiring assistants. If true, Sarkisian cannot be blamed for wanting to be a head coach again.
However, having to do it at Mississippi State is no guarantee of coaching success. Apparently the Bulldogs’ first choice was Joe Judge. Judge opted for the NFL. Unconfirmed reports state Billy Napier turned down two offers to leave Lafayette for Starkville. The Bulldogs need to close a deal. A decision is expected soon.
Losing Sark would be another blow to the argument Nick Saban can successfully reload assistants frequently. Sarkisian did an outstanding job as OC in the 2019 season. The offensive roster was loaded with talent and he understood how to maximize it. He skillfully managed a transition from Tua to Mac Jones and the Alabama football offense continued to be explosive.
Some Alabama football fans are worrying about the potential impact on new quarterback, Bryce Young. Young is signed and enrolled. If there is a change at OC, it is not expected to affect Young. Saban established a good relationship with the family.
There has been lots of chatter, Crimson Tide defensive line coach, Brian Baker may also be leaving. Much of the message board chatter comes from Tide fans wanting a return of former Tide coach, Bo Davis. There is nothing definitive to report. The most frequent rumor is Baker is interested in returning to the NFL.
Never-ending is the hope by some (many) Tide fans that Pete Golding will also exit. The much-maligned defensive coordinator has not been tied to recent openings. This could be a case of the fans wanting something different from Nick Saban’s intention.
Nick may have a coaching rehab program in Tuscaloosa and it may have created a revolving door. Staff continuity has suffered in recent years. Fortunately, Saban has been the constant.