Nick Saban shares his thoughts on Bill O’Brien as a potential offensive coordinator for Alabama
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Many rumors are swirling about Bill O’Brien and the Alabama Crimson Tide. Nick Saban is expected to hire the former head coach of the Houston Texans as the Crimson Tide’s new offensive coordinator.
Steve Sarkisian, who just led Alabama’s offense to a historic season and a national championship, is off to Texas to take over as the Longhorns’ head coach.
During a radio appearance on Wednesday, Saban heaped praise on O’Brien and what he’s accomplished during his career:
I asked Nick Saban what he thought of Bill O'Brien as an offensive coordinator and what he could bring to a program. The audio isn't great, so turn it up to listen. https://t.co/IILEPMcYXc pic.twitter.com/7nAFfHkOOe
— B.Scott from Hiram Clarke (@brandonkscott) January 13, 2021
“I’ve known Bill O’Brien for a long, long time, all the way back when he was an assistant at Georgia Tech with George O’Leary,” Saban said. “I think when he was with Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots — who I think everybody knows the relationship that we have with Bill — he was the offensive coordinator there. Went to Penn State in probably the most trying times of any great program, coming off of a lot of crazy stuff, and did an outstanding job of sort of rebuilding that program, getting players to stay there, having a real representative, positive program.
“I think he did a really good job in Houston when he was the head coach. I think when he became the general manager maybe things didn’t go exactly like he would’ve liked, trying to have both roles. But having been a head coach in that league, I know how difficult it is to do both of those things — probably impossible. So based on the body of work up until then, I think he’s an outstanding coach and a really good person. He’s got a great family. And I think he’ll do a great job with our players here. I’ve always tried to have the best knowledge and experience I can for our players and their development, and I certainly think he can contribute to that in a very positive way.”
Those comments certainly make it sound like O’Brien is about to be announced as the new Crimson Tide offensive coordinator. We’ll see if it becomes official soon.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
