On Friday, Alabama offered its offensive coordinator job to Tommy Rees and he accepted, making him the Crimson Tide’s ninth different OC since Nick Saban became head coach in 2007. Rees spent the previous three years in the same position at Notre Dame.
Rees is replacing former offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, who left Alabama for the same position with the New England Patriots.
So what does this mean for both Saban and the Crimson Tide and Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish? Our reporters break it down.
What prompted this move from Alabama?
Whether Bill O’Brien left on his own terms or not — ultimately returning to the New England Patriots — Alabama had to change offensively after a disappointing 2022 season. The Crimson Tide had become too one-dimensional and too reliant on stellar quarterback play to generate points. The creative playcalling under former OC’s Steve Sarkisian and Lane Kiffin was missing. Receivers couldn’t get open and the running game was inconsistent at best, especially between the tackles and in short-yardage situations. On third and fourth down with 2 yards or less to go, Alabama picked up a first down rushing only 60% of the time — which ranked 11th out of 14 SEC teams. The balance that Saban craves was missing. So were the explosive plays. Despite dropping back to pass 56.6% of the time — compared to Georgia at 50.3% — Alabama ranked fourth in the conference in plays of 20 or more yards.
— Alex Scarborough
What does this mean for the Tide moving forward?
I’m not sure exactly how far the pendulum is getting ready to swing back in the direction of a more traditional offense, but I am confident we’ll see a more pro-style approach moving forward. Just look at the numbers from last season. With Rees calling plays, Notre Dame was under center 58 times last season compared to Alabama at 12. Notre Dame also utilized 12 personnel — two tight ends and one back — on 302 plays compared to Alabama at 166. Finally, Notre Dame went into a pistol formation 129 times compared to Alabama at 84. In other words: Expect fewer empty sets and a more traditional running game. And with a new quarterback and a deep group of running backs — not to mention Saban’s proclivity for playing ball control offense — it makes sense that Alabama’s playbook will look more like 2012 than 2022.
— Scarborough
What does the hire say about where Saban thinks the program is?
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