Ed Orgeron to Alabama? ‘It will never happen’
If Death Valley is “the place where opponent’s dreams go to die”, then Alabama is the place where former coaches go to keep their dreams alive. Nick Saban has a knack for taking former head coaches, that seem to have come to the end of their road and turning them into highly sought-after head coaches again.
Need an example? Let’s take a look at three of Alabama’s recent Offensive Coordinators. First, let’s start with the most polarizing head coach on Twitter.
Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss Rebels
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Lane Kiffin was the head coach of the USC Trojans from 2010 to 2013…let’s just say, things did NOT end well. He was famously fired at 3:14 a.m. on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport, following a loss to Arizona State.
He then became the Offensive Coordinator for the Alabama Crimson Tide from 2014 to 2016. During that stretch, he reinvented the style of offense that Alabama runs. When you think of Alabama and how they usually run their offense, you think of I-formation, power running, clock control, and menacing defense.
After Kiffin was through in Tuscaloosa, we started seeing gunslingers and gaudy numbers. Thanks to how well he ran the Crimson Tide offense, he was able to land another head coaching job. A job just across the state line at Ole Miss.
Next, another former USC head coach.
Steve Sarkisian, Texas Longhorns
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Sark served as Alabama’s offensive coordinator for 2019 and 2020. He was fired from USC in 2015 (this is not a recurring thing, just a coincidence). He joined Alabama as an analyst in 2016.
That job propelled him to the Atlanta Falcons where he served as the offensive coordinator for 2017 and 2018 before he was fired. He then returned to Alabama for a second stint as the offensive coordinator.
His 2019, offense put up good numbers and a lot of points, BUT, they weren’t as good as Joe Burrow. In 2020, the Crimson Tide offense, led by Mac Jones ran the table going 13-0 and winning the national championship. That performance put Sark back on the head coaching radar. He’s now the head ball coach in Austin, Texas for the Longhorns
Finally, a former NFL head coach
Bill O’Brien, Alabama Crimson Tide
(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
We don’t even need to get started on the trainwreck that was the Houston Texans during his tenure. B.O.B. became the Crimson Tide offensive coordinator for the 2021 season and his star quarterback, Bryce Young won the Heisman. His name has been involved in multiple coaching discussions both at the college and the pro level. For now, he’s still the Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator.
So, who’s to say former LSU head coach Ed Orgeron wouldn’t take that same path? The man himself. Coach Orgeron appeared on WGNO Sports this week to discuss possibly coaching at Alabama.
“It will never happen. Never happen!”
“That will never happen with Ed Orgeron, I promise you.”
For now, Coach Orgeron is going to explore opportunities in television, but he will keep the door open for a possible return to coaching.
