Alabama may be approaching the hiring of a new offensive coordinator.
Target offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien returned to Tuscaloosa on Wednesday, sources told AL.com.
Sources did not think anything had been finalized with him on Wednesday morning, but it is now O’Brien’s second trip to Tuscaloosa in recent weeks, after spending a few days with the team in preparation for the national title games.
The news was released on Monday by The Athletic, stating that a deal is expected to be struck with Alabama and O’Brien sometime this week.
O’Brien was recently the head coach of the Houston Texans for seven seasons, after two seasons as head coach at Penn State (2012-13) and five working with Saban’s close friend Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots (2007- 11). O’Brien was the Patriots’ offensive coordinator in 2011.
Update (14h25): Saban talked about O’Brien during a call from Zoom to the Houston media and basically confirmed that he will hire him as Alabama’s offensive coordinator. “I think he is an excellent coach and a very good person,” said Saban, by Sports Radio 610. “He has a good family and I think he will do a good job with our players here.”
Matt Zenitz is a senior football reporter for the SEC at Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mzenitz.