There have been rumors circulating about where Alabama might turn for its next offensive coordinator after Steve Sarkisian left for the Texas head coaching gig.

One name that has been prominent in those rumors is former Houston Texans and Penn State coach Bill O’Brien, who was fired by Houston earlier this season.

On Wednesday night, ESPN’s Chris Low reported that Alabama was indeed close to finalizing a deal with O’Brien:

Alabama is finalizing a deal with former Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien to be the Crimson Tide’s next offensive coordinator, sources told ESPN.

O’Brien was in the Alabama football complex on Wednesday. He also spent some time around the team last week leading up to the College Football Playoff national championship game.

O’Brien will have big shoes to fill after Sark led the Crimson Tide offense to a historic performance in 2020.

What will his offense look like? We’ll get our first look (hopefully) during spring practices.