Alabama finalizes a deal with former Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien to become the Crimson Tide’s next offensive coordinator, sources told ESPN.
O’Brien was at the Alabama football complex on Wednesday. He also spent time with the team leading up to the College Football Playoff National Championship game last week.
Saban was asked about O’Brien on Wednesday during a Zoom press conference leading up to the announcement of the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Award, which Saban later won on Wednesday-evening.
Saban praised O’Brien’s body of work, calling him an excellent coach, and while Saban did not officially announce O’Brien as Alabama’s new offensive coordinator, he said O’Brien would “do a great job with our players here.”
Saban added: “I have always tried to have the best knowledge and experience for our players and their development, and I certainly think that [O’Brien] can contribute to this in a very positive way. “
O’Brien, who also served as general manager for the Texans last year, got four games in the 2020 season, after leading the Texans to playoff appearances in four of his first six seasons in Houston.
O’Brien, 51, replaces Steve Sarkisian, who left Alabama to take the job as head coach in Texas.
While his most recent coaching experience was in the NFL, O’Brien also has a long history of coaching in college. He was Penn State’s head coach in 2012-13 and helped rebuild the program after the Jerry Sandusky scandal and the NCAA sanctions that followed. O’Brien was Duke’s offensive coordinator in 2005-2006 and Georgia Tech’s offensive coordinator in 2001-2002.
Like Saban, O’Brien also has strong ties with Bill Belichick, coaching under Belichick with the New England Patriots for five seasons from 2007 to ’11, the final season as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator.
O’Brien becomes Saban’s seventh different offensive coordinator and goes back to Jim McElwain, who left after the 2011 season to take the job as head coach in Colorado State.
Saban also has an offensive line position to fill in his staff, as Kyle Flood heads to Texas with Sarkisian to be the Longhorns’ attack coordinator / attack line coach, sources confirmed to ESPN.