Nick Saban says former Alabama assistant would be ‘outstanding hire’ for Penn State
By Andrew Olson
Published:
A former Alabama assistant received a strong endorsement from Nick Saban for the Penn State head coaching job.
Saban appeared on Tuesday on The Pat McAfee Show. The Penn State job was discussed, and Saban was asked for his thoughts on Brian Daboll potentially becoming the new head coach of the Nittany Lions. Saban had high praise for his former offensive coordinator and endorsed the suggestion of Penn State hiring Daboll as head coach.
“He’s a very good coach,” Saban said of Daboll. “He’s a bright guy. He’s a good recruiter. He relates well to the players. He’s a good teacher. He’s got a good offensive mind. He’ll be able to put a good staff together. I think that would be an outstanding hire.”
"I love Brian Daboll and he did a great job here for us..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 26, 2025
He's a very good a coach and he's a great recruiter..
I think he would be an outstanding hire for Penn State" ~ Coach Saban #PMSLive https://t.co/gmqYpuhV2P pic.twitter.com/4tbV8eJdCu
Daboll, 50, was Alabama’s offensive coordinator for the 2017 season, helping the Crimson Tide win the national championship. Daboll has been coaching since 1997, getting his start as a volunteer assistant at William & Mary. He was then a Michigan State graduate assistant under Saban from 1998-99.
Much of Daboll’s experience, though, is in the NFL ranks. From 2000-16, before Alabama, Daboll was an assistant with the New England Patriots, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs.
After a season as Alabama’s OC, Daboll returned to the NFL. He was the offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills from 2018-21 before landing his first head coaching job. Daboll was the head coach of the New York Giants for 3+ seasons before his firing on Nov. 10.
Daboll collected 5 Super Bowl rings with the Patriots. He was named the AP’s Assistant Coach of the Year in 2020 and Head Coach of the Year in 2022. He was 21-41-1 with the Giants, including 1-1 in the postseason.
Penn State fired James Franklin on Oct. 12.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
