After just one year with the Crimson Tide, Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll has gone to the Buffalo Bills to assume the same position. Daboll last coached in the NFL as the Patriot’s Tight Ends Coach, when they infamously beat the Falcons in Super Bowl LI. Daboll now takes over an offense that ranked 22nd in the league and featured players such as Tyrod Taylor, LeSean McCoy, Kelvin Benjamin, and Jordan Matthews.
Whoever is hired for the Tide will take over an offense with an extremely bright future, but one problem: too much talent in the backfield. Barring a transfer, both Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa will be back. Most people seem to think Tagovailoa will be the favorite to assume the job after his brilliant performance in the national championship game, but Jalen Hurts is no chump. As a starter, Hurts has a phenomenal record of 26-2. While a ton of the credit should go to his supporting cast, Hurts was ,at one time, a Heisman Yrophy candidate.
Alabama will now look to fill their offensive coordinator position for the fourth time in three years. While I know we all (maybe) want to see Lane Kiffin back in Tuscaloosa, it’s more than likely not gonna happen. Another interesting name is Hugh Freeze. His former team at Ole Miss gave the Alabama defense fits in previous years, and even beat the Tide in 2015 and 2014. Hiring Freeze would definitely be an alpha move by the Tide, but considering Freeze’s personal problems at Ole Miss, I find it unlikely.
A likely option seems to be quarterback coach Mike Locksley. Daboll was quick to praise Locksley on his work over the season:
Before leaving for Colorado State, Jim McElwain enjoyed a lot success at Alabama. McElwain coached the offense from 2008-2011 and won two national championships before leaving for CSU and then eventually Florida. The former Saban assistant is now looking for work after getting the boot from Gainesville and could be the perfect fit for the Crimson tide.
Whoever is going to be stepping into the job will have two things: 1) a huge decision 2) a TON of young talent. It will be interesting to see how long the next coordinator lasts before he takes a head coaching gig somewhere else. Four coordinators in 13 months isn’t ideal, but truly speaks to the brilliance of Saban.