Alabama is in the process of concluding an agreement with former Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien to be the Crimson Tide’s next offensive coordinator, sources told ESPN.
O’Brien was in the football complex in Alabama on Wednesday. He also spent time with the team last week in the run-up to the College Football Playoff National Championship game.
Saban was questioned about O’Brien on Wednesday during a Zoom news conference that led to the announcement of the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year award, which Saban won later Wednesday night.
Saban praised O’Brien’s work and called him an excellent coach, and although Saban did not officially announce O’Brien as Alabama’s new attacking coordinator, he said that O’Brien’s an excellent job with our players here. will do. ‘ ‘
Saban added: ‘I have always tried to have the best knowledge and experience for my players and their development, and I definitely think [O’Brien] can contribute to it in a very positive way. ‘
O’Brien, who also served as general manager of the Texans last year, was fired four games in the 2020 season. This is after leading the Texans to playoff games in four of his first six seasons in Houston.
O’Brien, 51, replaces Steve Sarkisian, who left Alabama to work as a head coach in Texas.
While his most recent coaching experience was in the NFL, O’Brien also has a long history of coaching in college. He was the head coach of Penn State in 2012-13, and helped rebuild the program following the Jerry Sandusky scandal and the NCAA sanctions that followed. O’Brien was Duke’s offensive coordinator in 2005-06 and Georgia Tech’s offensive coordinator in 2001-02.
Similar to Saban, O’Brien also has strong ties with Bill Belichick and was coached by the New England Patriots from 2007 to ’11 for five seasons under Belichick. It was last season as the Patriots’ attacking coordinator.
O’Brien will be Saban’s seventh different attacking coordinator, returning to Jim McElwain, who left after the 2011 season to take over as head coach in Colorado.
Saban also has an offensive position to fill his staff, as Kyle Flood joins Sarkisian to Texas to be Longhorns’ offensive coordinator / offensive line coach, sources told ESPN