Saturday Blitz
Fansided

Alabama Football: 3 realistic candidates to replace Steve Sarkisian as OC

By Michael Hanich

Nov 7, 2020; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas head coach Tom Herman leads his team during warmups before the game against West Virginia at Royal-Memorial Stadium on Saturday November 7, 2020. Mandatory Credit: Jay Janner-USA TODAY NETWORK
Nov 7, 2020; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas head coach Tom Herman leads his team during warmups before the game against West Virginia at Royal-Memorial Stadium on Saturday November 7, 2020. Mandatory Credit: Jay Janner-USA TODAY NETWORK /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JANUARY 12: Head coach Bill O’Brien of the Houston Texans reacts against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second quarter in the AFC Divisional playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 12, 2020 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JANUARY 12: Head coach Bill O’Brien of the Houston Texans reacts against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second quarter in the AFC Divisional playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 12, 2020 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

2. Bill O’Brien

In continuing the coaching rehab process with the Alabama Crimson Tide and recently released coaches, head coach Nick Saban has stated that he is interested in two former NFL head coaches. Saban is considering former Jets head coach Adam Gase and former Texans coach Bill O’Brien.

Gase is not on this list of potential offensive coordinators due to the two horrible seasons with the Jets and what he utilizes with the offensive star players.

The Tide could go for the former head coach of the Texans and Penn State Nittany Lions. O’Brien was the head coach of Penn State in 2012 and 2013 where he accounted for a 15-9 overall. After two seasons, he was hired to be the head coach of the Texans. O’Brien helped develop the Texans’ offense as they acquired quarterback Deshaun Watson and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

The Texans had three seasons in the last seven years where they had a top-15 scoring offense including 2018 and 2019.

The biggest downfall of O’Brien was his lackluster player relationships with the Texans, particularly with Hopkins. His dual role as the general manager also gave him executive orders to make questionable decisions. After two successful seasons in 2018 (11-5) and 2019 (10-6), O’Brien followed that up with a 0-4 start that ultimately got him fired at Houston.

O’Brien is a Bill Belichick assistant, as is Saban. He would give the same coaching style that Saban presents to his team but only on the offense, which would be a good restart/role for him.

Home/Alabama Crimson Tide