On Wednesday, Alabama coach Nick Saban visited with media in Mobile, Alabama ahead of Saturday’s Senior Bowl at Ladd–Peebles Stadium. An apparent new staff hire was among the topics that came up during Saban’s media availability.

On Monday, it was reported that Alabama was looking to add Freddie Roach, who coached defensive line at Ole Miss the past three seasons, to its coaching staff. On Tuesday, a photo of Roach on the road recruiting, sporting the Alabama logo, made the rounds on social media (and then other forms of media).

“There’s always some internal things that have to happen when you hire someone,” Saban told reporters when asked about Roach. “Freddie’s an Alabama guy and we’d love for him to be a part of our program, and hopefully, all those things will work out favorably for us.”

Saban is accurate in calling Roach “an Alabama guy.” Roach played linebacker at UA from 2002-05 and was named National Freshman of the Year, a freshman All-American and twice selected second-team All-SEC. Though Roach did not play for Saban, he’s quite familiar with the Crimson Tide head coach having previously served on staff as an assistant strength coach from 2008-10 and as director of player development from 2015-16.

Considering the NCAA rules on how many assistant coaches can be out on the road recruiting for a program, it’s safe to say that the “internal things” are simply formalities.