Former Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien is a leading candidate to replace Steve Sarkisian as Alabama’s offensive coordinator, and coach Nick Saban praised O’Brien when he practically spoke to the Houston media before the Houston banquet. Paul “Bear” Bryant Award.
“I’ve known Bill O’Brien for a long, long time, since he was an assistant at Georgia Tech with George O’Leary,” Saban said on Wednesday, according to SportsRadio 610.
“I think when he was with Bill Belichick at the New England Patriots – that I think everyone knows the relationship we have with Bill – he was the offensive coordinator there. He went to Penn State probably in the most difficult times of any major program, coming from a lot of crazy things, and he did an excellent job of rebuilding that program, making the players stay there, having a representative real positive program.
“And I think he did a very good job in Houston when he was the head coach. I think when he became the general manager, maybe things didn’t go exactly as he would have liked, trying to have both roles. But having been the head coach of that league, I know how difficult it is to do both – probably impossible. So, based on the work done so far, I think he is an excellent coach and a very good person. He has a great family.
“And I think he will do a great job with our players here. I have always tried to have the best knowledge and experience I can for our players and their development, and I certainly think he can contribute to this in a very positive way. “
O’Brien was back in Tuscaloosa on Wednesday, according to BamaOnLine editor Tim Watts, after also spending time at the Crimson Tide facility before the CFP National Championship Game. O’Brien was sacked as Texans’ coach and general manager after a 0-4 start in the 2020-21 season. He has spent the past seven seasons as a Houston coach.
O’Brien last trained in college as a head coach at Penn State in 2012-13. He took on the task of replacing Joe Paterno in Happy Valley after the Jerry Sandusky scandal. O’Brien led the Nittany Lions for a record 15-9 before moving on to train the Texans in the NFL.
In addition to Penn State, O’Brien has experience as a college-level coordinator at Georgia Tech (2001-02) and Duke (2005-06). He also served as an offensive position coach at Georgia Tech, Maryland (2003-04) and in his alma mater, Brown (1993-94).
Alabama did not officially announce the hiring on Wednesday afternoon.
“We always warn you about these things when they happen,” Saban said on Tuesday. “I cannot make predictions about our team. I think we have a wonderful team. I like the chemistry in our team. 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 cannot answer that. It is an ongoing process to find the right offensive coordinator. We are certainly in the process of doing this. ”
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