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Nick Saban discusses rumors of Bill O’Brien departing Alabama for NFL job
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Nick Saban was at the podium as National Signing Day 2022 came to a close on Wednesday. While Alabama saw a few leftover recruits make it official with the program, the majority of the Crimson Tide’s class was sewn up during the Early Signing Period in December.
One of the storylines surrounding the program, though, involved Bill O’Brien. With O’Brien’s 1st season as the Tide’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach being highlighted by Bryce Young winning the Heisman Trophy despite a loss in the national championship game to Georgia, there’s been talks of the former New England Patriots assistant and Houston Texans head coach making a return to the NFL.
A possibility, per the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, would be a reunion with Bill Belichick in Foxborough to replace offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who was named as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. O’Brien served on the New England staff for 5 seasons and was the team’s offensive coordinator in 2011.
Saban on Wednesday was asked about the rumors.
“I don’t think Bill is trying to leave,” he said, according to AL.com. “We have no indication of that, other than what y’all put on the Internet right now, which is a lot of maybes. We’re not trying to address anything that might happen.”
We’ll find out what O’Brien’s thinking is soon and whether going back to the NFL is an opportunity too good for him to pass up.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
