Alabama Football: Don’t worry about the offensive coordinator vacancy
By Dakota Cox
Alabama football fans should not be worried about who will replace Sarkisian
The news of Steve Sarkisian moving on to coach the Texas Longhorns was tough. Even though it could still be a lot worse, Alabama football fans were reasonably upset. Sarkisian has developed the best offense Tuscaloosa has ever seen, and we are not yet sure who will replace him.
Reports came out that Bill O’Brien and Adam Gase are near the top of Nick Saban’s list to replace Steve Sarkisian. This might be upsetting for Alabama fans. Both of these coaches are coming off of failures in the NFL, and that is fresh in the minds of all fans.
While this might seem worrisome, there isn’t any actual reason for fans to be worried.
Both Adam Gase and Bill O’Brien failed as NFL coaches, but that is different from being Alabama’s offensive coordinator. O’Brien struggled with the manager side of things, and Gase failed to control the locker room while he was in charge. If given the reins of the offense in Tuscaloosa, they will simply focus on developing players and calling plays. Both have a history of doing that successfully, and it would be even easier to succeed under Saban.
It is important to remember that Saban’s best hires have been controversial. Fans did not want Lane Kiffin to be an Alabama football coach, and he reshaped the entire offense. Sarkisian was coming off of a firing as the Falcons OC, and people were worried that he would fail as well. Obviously, these are the two greatest offensive coordinators in Alabama football history.
It is also important to remember that the offensive coordinator will inherit the best offense in college football. Even if everyone declares for the NFL Draft, the Tide will bring in an elite offensive line class to protect Bryce Young. Alabama has an entire stable of backs who are not eligible for the NFL, and they added more receivers in the 2021 recruiting class. The offense will reload, and the OC will inherit a sportscar.
dark. Next. Other candidates to replace Sarkisian
At the end of the day, fans must realize that Nick Saban will make the right decision. Every time he is questioned, he ends up being right. He is the greatest coach of all time for a reason, and he will find the right person for the job. If fans are nervous about the hire, don’t be.