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Could Bill O’Brien leave Alabama for the LSU HC job?

Could the Alabama OC be on the move after his first season with the program?

Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien is halfway through his first season with the Crimson Tide as the team’s offensive coordinator. O’Brien is hailed as the latest former head coach of another program who is seeking a second chance through being an assistant coach under Nick Saban.

Prior to his latest stop at Alabama, O’Brien spent six years in the NFL as the head coach of the Houston Texans. He has spent decades bouncing between the NFL and collegiate ranks for decades. excluding his final two years in Houston, he’s a great offensive mind that has proven he can be an impactful head coach anywhere in the nation, as evidenced in his short stint with Penn State back in 2012.

It’s a known fact that the Saban coaching tree grows every season. Well, now there’s a chance it extends within the SEC.

Despite winning a national championship less than two years ago, LSU head coach Ed Orgeron is likely going the be coaching his final game for the Tigers very soon, with a strong chance that he doesn’t see the end of the season.

So who might replace Coach O? Patrick Conn of LSU Tigers Wire compiled a list of potential candidates, one of which is the current Crimson Tide offensive coordinator.

“Perhaps Bill O’Brien follows in the footsteps of Steve Sarkisian and gets a head coaching gig after going through Nick Saban’s coaching rehabilitation? O’Brien had a short run at Penn State as their head coach with a record of 15-9.”

As the SEC evolves into an offensive-heavy conference, it’s important for programs to adapt and reflect their willingness to change with the game. Bringing in O’Brien would certainly show how serious they are about building the offense which has struggled tremendously in the last two seasons since Joe Burrow & Co. left the program.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow along with rumors and reports about Bill O’Brien and the LSU head coaching job.

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What we learned from Alabama’s loss to Texas A&M

What we learned from Alabama’s loss to Texas A&M.

Alabama’s comeback attempt fell short Saturday night in College Station, as the Texas A&M Aggies made the plays late and hit a field goal as time expired to upset the Tide 41-38.

Alabama was able to outgain the Aggies by 143 yards, but that was not enough to escape Kyle Field with a victory.

There was a lot to be learned from the Tide’s performance, so let’s get right to it.

Alabama TE Cameron Latu speaks on his contributions, relationship with Jahleel Billingsley

Cameron Latu recently participated in a Q&A with the press. The Alabama tight end had a lot to say!

Alabama tight end Cameron Latu caught two passes for 19 yards against Florida on Saturday, and according to him, he’s just happy to be in a position to contribute in Bill O’Brien’s offense.

“It’s been great,” Latu said of his start to the season. “I know these last few years transitioning to tight end from outside linebacker has been a journey, and finally being out there and contributing to help the team has been a blast. I just know I’ve been working hard for it.”

Through the first quarter of the season, Latu has caught a total of five passes for 62 yards, finding the end zone twice. He’s proven to be an efficient option in the red zone.

Latu, now in his fourth season with the Tide, third at tight end, had to wait his turn behind guys like Miller Forristall at the tight end position. He gave an idea on how he managed to keep a level head sitting behind other tight ends on the depth chart.

“The best advice was just to keep my head down and work,” Latu said. “Nothing else matters besides your development as a player and to help the team grow. Put the team first and everything else will just fall in place. Be consistent, as well.”

The tight ends for the Crimson Tide, as a cohesive unit, haven’t been the most targeted group on the field. Bryce Young doesn’t seem, as of yet, too willing to throw to tight ends on a consistent basis. Jahleel Billingsley was finally able to score after catching a touchdown pass from Young on Saturday against Florida He had issues off-the-field to straighten up before being able to contribute in a meaningful way.

Latu made a candid statement regarding Billingsley during his Q&A.

“One thing I expect from him is to make a lot more plays,” Latu said. “He’s a very useful weapon for our offense, and I love playing beside him, and he’s going to help our team a lot.”

When asked about the Southern Miss defense, Latu gave an assessment.

“Watching them, they have a lot of movement up front,” Latu said. “They’re a good run defense, so we just have to adjust to sticking to our fundamentals and our technique and our rules just to keep our eyes open for how they move a lot up front. So just adjust to that.”

Alabama is a heavy favorite going into the game against the Golden Eagles this Saturday. The Crimson Tide will look to polish up some fine details and attempt to establish a balanced gameplan.

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire to remain updated on everything Alabama!

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POSTGAME REPORT: Alabama overpowers Miami to earn first win of the 2021 season

Alabama completely overpowers the Miami Hurricanes to earn its first win of the 2021 season

The Alabama Crimson Tide completely overpowered the Miami Hurricanes earning a 44 to 13 victory in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game.

First-year starter Bryce Young led the offense with 344 yards passing and four touchdowns, finishing 27 of 38 through the air.

Ohio State transfer Jameson Williams made a splash in his Alabama debut, finishing with four catches for 126 yards, including a 94-yard touchdown reception from Bryce Young.

The Pete Golding-led Alabama defense was just as dominating. They held the Hurricanes to just 13 points and a total of 266 total yards.

Super sophomore Will Anderson lived up to his preseason expectations. The talented EDGE defender finished the game with one sack and several QB hurries.

Alabama delivered a completely dominating performance to start the season. Let’s see if they can carry that over next week as they take on the Mercer Bears in Tuscaloosa.

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for all the latest on the Crimson Tide.

What Bryce Young said in his first media appearance

Here’s what Bryce Young had to say in his first media appearance at Alabama

Coach Saban is notorious for not allowing freshmen to speak to the media and that was not any different for former five-star QB Bryce Young. Finally, Young had the opportunity to speak to the media for the first time on Thursday.

Here is what Young had to say:

Young said that he has been working on becoming more of a leader.
On which QB’s he tries to model his game after, Young mentioned Aaron Rogers and Russell Wilson.
Young mentioned that the culture that coach Nick Saban has built helps keep distractions like NIL deals from becoming a problem within the locker room.
Young said the opportunity for him to move from Southern California to the South has been great and that he has been shown love and hospitality.
Young said that playing and learning behind Mac Jones last season was a great experience for him.
When asked about John Metchie, Young said that he is the “cornerstone” of the offense.
Young said that you come to Bama for the pressure and the expectations.
Young said that Bill O’Brien’s knowledge and experience have helped with his growth.

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for all the latest on the Crimson Tide!

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Alabama football: Recapping preseason coaches presser

What the Alabama coaches had to say in their preseason presser

Yesterday head coach Nick Saban, defensive coordinator Pete Golding, and offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien all spoke to members of the media via Zoom. Let’s take a quick look at what each coach had to say.

Nick Saban

Obviously coach Saban had a lot to say, we are just going to touch on some of the high notes. Let’s get started!

The team is excited about the challenge of another season. This team has a lot to prove with all the departures, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
Saban gave a beautiful tribute to the passing of legendary coach Bobby Bowden. Coach Saban mentioned a story from his younger days as a graduate assistant at Kent State, “Coach (Bowden) didn’t know me from Adam’s house cat, but he knew my dad and got word that maybe my mom was struggling a bit back home in West Virginia. I pick up the phone one day and it’s Coach Bowden himself. He tells me he knew my dad and said that if I needed to be closer to home, he would make a place for me on his Mountaineer coaching staff.”
On injuries, Saban mentioned senior LaBryan Ray suffered a groin injury towards the end of the summer that may keep him out a couple of weeks. Third-year running back Trey Sanders is nearing 100% and is no longer wearing a black non-contact jersey during practice. Sophomore Malachi Moore looks to be completely recovered after missing the spring with a back injury.
When asked about junior TE Jahleel Billingsley, Saban mentioned that “(Billingsley) does have a lot of ability. He can be a positive contributor on the team, but he’s also got to buy into the principles and values of the team and be a good teammate and do the things that everyone else in the organization does so that he has the respect of his teammates. We’re certainly trying to help him do that, and hopefully, he’ll be back out there with us in a few days. We’ll see how that all develops.”
Saban also mentioned that senior running back Brian Robinson Jr., deserves the opportunity to earn the role as “the guy” in the backfield for the Tide.

Pete Golding

Coach Golding was very excited when he spoke to the media. You can tell this guy has a competitive fire in him. Let’s take a look at few things he mentioned.

Golding mentioned the defense needs to do a better job against the run and getting off the field on thrid down.
He mentioned the leadership qualities of transfer linebacker Henry To’o To’o.
Golding had high praise for freshman cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, mentioning his length, speed, and willingness to be physical against the run.
The goal of the defense is to hold teams to thirteen points or less, and creating turnovers.

Bill O’Brien

Bill O’Brien is entering his first year as the offensive coordinator at Alabama, and he is excited to be back in the college game. Let’s take a look at some his thoughts on the 2021 Alabama football team.

He mentioned that coach Saban sets the tone for the entire organization and everyone follows his lead.
O’Brein said that sophomore quarterback Bryce Young is a really hard worker and a great teammate.
On his play-calling style, O’Brien said that “It varies from year to year based on the type of offensive philosophy that you have, also the type of players you have. I think it depends on how the game’s going. I don’t think you can really label anybody like, ‘Hey this is what type of play-caller he is.’ It’s such a game-to-game process. From one game to the next, the defenses that you’re facing are different.”

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for all the latest on the Crimson Tide!

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Alabama Football: Bill O’Brien’s leading receivers by the numbers

Roll Tide Wire takes a dive into every leading receiver’s numbers under new Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.

Roll Tide Wire has been diving into some of the numbers for Bill O’Brien’s top offensive playmakers during his nine-season stretch as a head coach. That research has revealed some interesting things about Alabama’s new offensive coordinator, too.

One note in particular for the wide receivers is noteworthy: only two players have led Bill O’Brien teams in receiving yards over his eight full seasons as a head coach. Both of those guys are listed below.

Take a look at the numbers for every leading receiver during the Bill O’Brien era with Penn State and the Houston Texans. Big-bodied guys who possess plenty of leaping ability. That doesn’t exactly match what Alabama has succeeded with in recent years.

Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III, DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle were all on the lighter side, and they win through top-level route running. Newcomers Jacorey Brooks and Agiye Hall could both benefit, however.

Check out the numbers below to see for yourself. Enjoy!

Other related articles:

Quarterback numbers under Bill O’Brien

Running back numbers under Bill O’Brien

BAMA BEAT: Breaking down the Alabama coaching changes (Ep. 396)

Brett Hudson, Clint Lamb look into the various coaching changes for Alabama this offseason, including Bill O’Brien at offensive coordinator.

Brett Hudson and Clint Lamb take a deep dive into the various coaching changes for Alabama this offseason, including the move from Steve Sarkisian to Bill O’Brien at offensive coordinator.

How did Nick Saban do replacing the five on-field coaches who have left?

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.

Download the USA TODAY SportsWire app to follow Roll Tide Wire and your other favorite teams in the Apple Store for iPhones and Google Play for Android devices.

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Alabama Football: Bill O’Brien’s lead running backs by the numbers

Roll Tide Wire takes a dive into every lead running back’s numbers under new Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.

Bill O’Brien is Alabama’s new offensive coordinator after the departure of Steve Sarkisian. For anyone unfamiliar with the NFL, O’Brien is a name that may come with questions.

To get a good idea of some of the production under O’Brien during his time as a head coach for Penn State and the Houston Texans, Roll Tide Wire is giving fans a few numbers to look at.

First, it started with the quarterback statistics, but now we are shifting focus to the running backs — particularly the lead back under O’Brien. With the Nittany Lions, we went ahead and included two, however.

Enjoy!

Other related articles:

Quarterback numbers under Bill O’Brien

Alabama Football: Bill O’Brien’s quarterbacks by the numbers

Roll Tide Wire takes a dive into every starting quarterback’s numbers under new Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.

Steve Sarkisian is off to Austin as the new head coach of the Texas Longhorns, and that move left Alabama looking for a new offensive coordinator who can call plays.

After some back-and-forth, the Crimson Tide landed on former Houston Texans and Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien.

The move was considered an odd one by some, but O’Brien is still highly respected as an offensive mind. His time as a head coach has seen plenty of ups and downs, but he should have plenty to work with in Tuscaloosa.

Let’s look a little bit at his past, though.

His most noteworthy success came in his five seasons under Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots. His first two seasons were as an analyst and wide receivers coach, but his final three years included being Tom Brady’s quarterbacks coach and eventual, his offensive coordinator.

The connection between Belichick and Alabama head coach Nick Saban is obvious, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to know that relationship factored into the decision to bring O’Brien in — similarly to when Brian Daboll was hired back in 2017.

There is also some recruiting incentives with O’Brien.

It’s always nice to have a former NFL head coach roaming your sidelines when it comes to attracting high-profile high school recruits. As of right now, Alabama has added two this offseason with O’Brien and new offensive line coach Doug Marrone.

But what about O’Brien success with quarterbacks since leaving New England and Brady? Well, Roll Tide Wire dove into the numbers for the top quarterback on each of O’Brien’s teams since he became a head coach in 2012.

The results were … interesting. Take a look for yourself.