The biggest story surrounding football in Alabama this young offseason has been finding coordinators on both sides of the ball. This will of course remain the main headline until both positions are settled, which could be any day now.
The search for an offensive coordinator is relatively new given that former OC Bill O’Brien’s departure was announced just a week ago. Several names have been thrown around in the search, and the latest potential candidate is Washington Huskies offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.
Grubb oversaw one of the nation’s most prolific offenses in Washington in 2022. He met with coach Nick Saban yesterday, presumably to discuss the prospect of joining Alabama’s football program.
The defensive coordinator search, on the other hand, took much longer. Longtime Alabama DC Pete Golding took over the same job at Ole Miss 18 long days ago. Two and a half weeks is a very long time for a vacant coordinator position. For dedicated soccer fans from Alabama, it felt more like several months.
Several names have risen and fallen throughout the process. On more than one occasion, Bama fans felt they were very close to an announcement, only that a few days went by without an update.
As things stand, former Alabama DC Jeremy Pruitt and current Alabama defensive analyst Todd Grantham appear to be the likeliest candidates.
Crimson Tide fans couldn’t be more polarized in their opinions of Pruitt and Grantham.
Jeremy Pruitt coordinated two Alabama defenses in 2016 and 2017, both of which finished at #1. 1 in the nation in both goal defense and yards allowed. These were the last truly elite defenses Alabama fielded as the unit has gradually declined in each subsequent season under Golding.
While fans’ desire to rehire Pruitt is partly rooted in nostalgia, there’s little doubt that the man still knows his defense and would be a major improvement from the defense coordinator.
Unfortunately, he’s currently the subject of an NCAA investigation stemming from his days as head coach in Tennessee. The threat of sanctions that could result from this investigation appear to stand in the way of an official Alabama Football bid. Despite this, Coach Saban has shown interest in Pruitt and at least contacted him about the position.
Todd Grantham is on the other end of the spectrum. Many believe that Grantham, who was formerly DC in Georgia, Louisville, Mississippi State, and Florida, employs an antiquated style ineffective in the modern age.
He appears to be the primary contingency plan if Jeremy Pruitt’s name isn’t cleared. Alabama’s football fanbase has announced that the reaction to Grantham’s hiring would be anything but an uproar.
At this point, it seems like the ideal coordinator pairing for Alabama football would be Grubb on offense and Pruitt on defense. Could this duo get Alabama playing complementary football at the national championship level?
That remains to be seen, but it’s hard to imagine they wouldn’t be an upgrade from the last pair of Coordinators.