After a two-loss season, Alabama becomes coach Nick Saban must find new coordinators on both sides of the ball. Bill O’Brien He recently left his post as the Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator to become the New England Patriots’ OC, and the next play caller is taking a unit with some uncertainty as star quarterback Bryce Young transitions to the NFL. As Alabama’s search drags on, Paul Finebaum said Monday during an appearance on WJOX’s McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning that he wasn’t concerned about the pace of the process because Saban has a long track record of hiring impressive football heads .
“Nick Saban knows what he’s doing,” Finebaum said. “Also he has to finish recruiting and it’s pretty obvious that finding coordinators isn’t affecting recruiting at all based on what everyone knows. Either he’s very conscious for a reason – and maybe there is a reason.
“Maybe someone isn’t available. Maybe it takes longer to go through a process. But I think that’s just the natural uneasiness of the fans. When it comes to personnel decisions, I would be the last person in America to criticize Nick Saban. He has proven time and time again that he knows how to run a coaching search. No one has performed more or better than him.”
Alabama has to deal with a quarterback fight starting this spring. Jalen Milroea former 4-star recruit who assisted Young 2022 fights a former 5-star recruit Ty Simpson for work. Milroe comes out on top in terms of game experience, while Simpson came to Tuscaloosa as a higher rated recruit.
Nonetheless, Alabama has recruited at an elite level throughout Saban’s tenure and as such has plenty of talent to develop. The Tide’s disappointing 2022 season sparked frustration among fans over the appointment of O’Brien and the former defensive coordinator Peter Goldingwho left for Ole Miss this off-season.
McElroy, a former Alabama quarterback, said he believes Tide and O’Brien could both benefit from the split.
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“It’s one of those situations where I feel like the offensive coordinator always gets unfair criticism,” McElroy said at WJOX last week. “But he’s done a lot of good things in Alabama, and I think his time in Alabama should be remembered fondly, rather than being remembered like he was the worst ever.” But I think it’s also a good step for him. Come back home, inherit what I think is an OK situation. I wouldn’t say it’s a great situation, but I think it’s an OK situation. It’s a familiar situation for him. So I think it’s a win-win situation for both sides.