Alabama Football: Expect outside the box hire for new Alabama OC

Alabama football will think outside the box to grab the next great offensive coordinator.

The last two times the Crimson Tide needed an offensive coordinator, Alabama football head coach Nick Saban reached into the NFL. He grabbed New England Patriots tight ends coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian from the Atlanta Falcons.

The naming of Sarkisian as the new Texas Longhorns football coach, names mentioned for the vacant position are collegiate coaches such as former Longhorns coach Tom Herman, South Alama OC Major Applewhite, and Ole Miss OC Jeff Lebby.  As long as Saban resides in Tuscaloosa, any coordinator can expect to achieve their dream as a head coach by training under college football’s greatest coach. Coaching the best players in college football helps, also.

The last white-hot offensive coordinator to turn college football upside down arrived from the NFL, Joe Brady. An offensive assistant for the New Orleans Saints for two seasons, Brady did not even have coordinator experience but directed the most prolific offense in college football history—until this season.

Two NFL candidates with SEC experience to consider

One name is former Alabama quarterback, New York Giants tight end coach Freddie Kitchens. If joining Saban’s coaching rehab has done wonders for Lane Kiffin, Michael Locksley, and Sarkisian, Kitchens should definitely be considered.

Kitchens became the Cleveland Browns running backs coach in 2018 before head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley were fired after week 8.  Taking over as offensive coordinator, Kitchens turned former number one NFL draft pick, Baker Mayfield, into a star. Immediately after the season, interim coach Gregg Williams was dismissed, and he was hired as the organization’s seventeenth head coach. His one season as the coach did not fare well, finishing 6-10, and he was fired after one season.

Another coach comes who deserves consideration is New York Jets coach Adam Gase.

Reported to be dismissed after Sunday’s game, Gase is considered an offensive savant. Although his stint with the Jets has been less than stellar, he coached one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks in Peyton Manning during his stint with the Denver Broncos. During his three years with Gase, Manning threw 131 touchdown passes. In 2013, Manning threw 55 touchdown passes. That remains the NFL’s single-season record.

Both worked with Saban at LSU as graduate assistants.

Trust in Saban

Saban’s Rolodex reaches out across the professional and college landscape. Once he confers with Bill Belicheck and countless others in the league, do not be surprised if he poaches someone the fan base may not like, originally, but is the right fit for the Alabama program.

Alabama football faces Ohio State on Jan. 11 for the National Championship in Miami. Steve Sarkisian will direct the Crimson Tide offense through that game.