Alabama’s hiring of Brian Daboll as its new offensive coordinator became official Monday afternoon, with coach Nick Saban formally announcing the widely discussed hire.

“We are certainly happy to add a coach the caliber of Brian Daboll to our staff,” coach Nick Saban said in a team release. “I have known Brian since he worked for us as a GA at Michigan State and he has a fantastic reputation in the coaching profession. He brings a tremendous work ethic to the job and has a wealth of football knowledge. Brian is a great teacher of the game, and someone who can relate well to our players. We are excited to welcome Brian, his wife Beth and their family to Tuscaloosa.”

Daboll is returning to college football after spending the past 17 seasons in the NFL, including 10 with the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots.

“I am honored to have the chance to return to the college game and work for Coach Saban at Alabama,” Daboll said. “He basically gave me my start in coaching as a graduate assistant at Michigan State in the late 1990s and has always been a very important influence on my coaching career. It is a tremendous opportunity to work at an institution such as Alabama with its rich tradition and history of sustained success, and I’m very excited to get started.”

Daboll was most recently coaching tight ends on the Patriots staff, but will handle offensive coordinator and quarterback coaching duties with the Crimson Tide. He replaces Steve Sarkisian, who left for the Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator position after succeeding Lane Kiffin.