Alabama football's new offensive coordinator is an underwhelming hire
New Alabama football head coach Kalen DeBoer has reportedly found a new offensive coordinator and it's not a name that will excite Crimson Tide fans.
Kalen DeBoer's job as Alabama football head coach got even more difficult when his right-hand man, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb took a job in the NFL as the Seahawks offensive coordinator.
Grubb was a candidate to replace DeBoer at Washington. He had also followed him to Fresno State and to Washington. He was a key part of the staff and maybe the most essential assistant coach on the staff.
Of course, Grubb isn't the only coach leaving for the NFL. Chip Kelly interviewed for NFL offensive coordinator jobs before leaving to call plays for Ryan Day at Ohio State, which had an opening after Bill O'Brien left for Boston College.
The current plan for Alabama seems to be to promote tight ends coach Nick Sheridan to offensive coordinator, sources tell @247Sports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 13, 2024
The former Michigan QB helped Washington post big numbers the last two years under Kalen DeBoer and was previously an OC at Indiana.… pic.twitter.com/ohzf2pv3AY
Alabama football fans were likely hoping for a big-name hire like Chip Kelly. But that's not going to be the end result as according to Matt Zenitz of 247 Sports, the Crimson Tide are going to promote tight ends coach Nick Sheridan to the position of offensive coordinator.
Sheridan is a former college quarterback. He was also an assistant with the Huskies under DeBoer and also served as the offensive coordinator at Indiana after DeBoer, although he did get fired from that job after the offense struggled.
Sheridan spent the past two seasons coaching tight ends with DeBoer. But a former offensive coordinator that was fired by Indiana, probably isn't the hire Alabama football fans were hoping for.
Yet, you have to let DeBoer hires who he trusts. He believed in Grubb after all and in terms of Sheridan being the coordinator -- for one -- he'll still have DeBoer. And secondly, Alabama football has a lot more talent than Indiana, which makes the job easier for any coach.
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The eventual freakout from Alabama football fans is expected, it's probably an overreaction, even if the the hire is underwhelming. The Tide hired DeBoer for a reason and they need to hope that Sheridan winds up being more successful than he was as Indiana OC.