Alabama coach Nick Saban said Tuesday that it is an “ongoing process” to find a replacement for offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, who was named head coach at Texas a week ago.
Former Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien has been targeted by Saban and is considered a prime candidate for the vacant position, sources told ESPN’s Chris Low.
Saban planned to talk to multiple candidates about the job, sources said.
“I can’t make any predictions about our staff,” Saban told reporters on Tuesday, the morning after Alabama defeated Ohio State to win the College Football Playoff National Championship. “I think we have a great staff. I like the chemistry of our staff. We are happy for Sark. I don’t know what other opportunities there will be for our coaches. We’ll just have to wait and see. I can’t answer that. to give.
“It is a continuous process for us to find the right offensive coordinator. We are certainly working on that.”
If Saban were to bring in O’Brien as Sarkisian’s replacement, that would be the second time Saban has sought an offensive coordinator who previously worked with longtime friend and New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. The last was former Patriots coach Brian Daboll in 2017.
O’Brien was a staff assistant at Belichick’s Patriots from 2007 to 2011 before landing the job as head coach at Penn State, where he helped rebuild the program after the Jerry Sandusky scandal and subsequent NCAA sanctions.
O’Brien went 15-9 in two seasons at Penn State before being hired as the Texans’ head coach. He was promoted to the role of general manager for the 2020 season, but was fired after a 0-4 start.
O’Brien was on campus last week, spending time on the program while Alabama prepared for the national championship game.
Whoever replaces Sarkisian will have a sky-high standard to live up to.
In two seasons when he called plays, Sarkisian oversaw a foul averaging 47.8 points and 526.6 yards per game.
ESPN’s Chris Low contributed to this story.