Tag: coordinators

Athlon Sports predicts Alabama to win the SEC West in 2023

Alabama expected to rise back up to the top of the SEC West in 2023.

The Crimson Tide are looking to reclaim their throne atop the SEC West in 2023 after coming up short last season to the LSU Tigers. The good news for Alabama fans is that they get their three toughest games in LSU, Tennessee and Texas all at home in Tuscaloosa.

Alabama has won the SEC West in six of the past nine seasons and I expect that to be the standard for Nick Saban again this season. The Tide haven’t missed out on the SEC Championship Game in back-to-back years since 2010 and 2011. With two new coordinators and having to replace a Heisman Trophy winner, it won’t be a walk in the park, but the Tide has all of the tools in place to make it happen.

Steve Lassan of Athlon Sports predicts that Alabama will be the winner of the West in 2023 saying, “It’s a toss-up between Alabama and LSU at the top of the SEC West. With the game in Tuscaloosa next fall, a slight edge goes to the Crimson Tide at No. 1. But coach Nick Saban’s team also possesses more question marks than usual, so this won’t be an easy path to the SEC title game… Talent isn’t the issue for Saban’s team. How fast does this all come together?”

If Alabama can figure out the quarterback position and find some stability in the wide receiving room they immediately become the best team in the country. The offensive line and running backs will be outstanding in 2023 and I have a lot of optimism regarding Kevin Steele and the defensive pieces he has to utilize. Plus, it never hurts to have the best coach the game has ever seen.

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Texas Football: 2023 Longhorns boast consistency in key roles

Texas returns their head coach, both coordinators and starting quarterback.

Consistency has been a missing piece for the Texas football program since the days of Mack Brown dominating the Big 12 Conference.

A revolving door of head coaches, coordinators and quarterback play has made it difficult for the Longhorns to gain any traction towards competing at an elite level.

A major reason for optimism about Texas entering the 2023 season is the return of head coach Steve Sarkisian, offensive coordinator Kyle Flood, defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski and quarterback Quinn Ewers. Arguably the four most important roles inside a college program.

Texas is one of only 28 FBS teams and five Big 12 schools bringing back the core four this upcoming year.

The Longhorns now have the benefit of playing in the same system, under the same play-caller on both sides of the ball for three consecutive seasons. Players get the advantage of not being forced to learn a new playbook and can focus on development.

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Washington Huskies OC Ryan Grubb will not join Alabama staff after meeting with Nick Saban

Alabama OC search will continue after UW OC decides to stay put

Alabama Crimson Tide fans have been patiently waiting to see who head coach Nick Saban will bring in as his offensive and defensive coordinators for the 2023 season. Unfortunately, that answer will not be coming today.

Washington Huskies offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb, emerged as a top target for Saban and his staff late last week. Grubb was an offensive coordinator for the first time in 2022 and was a key part of the Huskies’ 11-2 season.

However, after meeting with coach Saban in Tuscaloosa on Monday, Grubb will remain with the Huskies in 2022 and the Tide’s search will continue.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football and the program’s search for both offensive and defensive coordinators.

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Wild stat shows why 2022 is likely Alabama’s year to win it all

This has only ever happened twice in the last eight years, and Alabama won the National Championship both times. It’s happening in 2022.

[autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and his run with the Alabama Crimson Tide is among the greatest dynasties in the history of sports. What Coach Saban has done is far more difficult than just winning football games. Not only does he face the difficulties of losing collegiate players every three to four years, but he is constantly having to replace coaches who leave for other coaching opportunities.

Think of all the great coaches who have been assistants to Saban that ultimately left for coaching jobs: Jimbo Fisher, Lane Kiffin, Kirby Smart, Mario Cristobal and others.

For only the third time in the last eight years, Alabama will return both their offensive and defensive coordinators. Bill O’Brien remains responsible for the play-calling duties offensively while Pete Golding will continue to have full control over the defense.

The only other times that Alabama has returned its two coordinators was in 2015 and 2020. Alabama won the national title both of those seasons.

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Bryan Harsin unable to get clarity on next coordinator hire

Bryan Harsin is reportedly frustrated with one aspect, as he should be.

We sure aren’t feeling as good about the football program as the basketball program right now. Tension has reached a fever pitch under the watch of head coach Bryan Harsin down on the plains. The timing of what some are calling a witch hunt is a little odd.

The Tigers recently wrapped up their 2022 recruiting class on Wednesday, but Auburn didn’t sign any high school prospects on that day. The head coach was in Mobile for the Senior Bowl practices before heading out of the country on vacation. In his absence, the floodgates have opened. More specifically in regards to coordinator hires.

According to this report from ESPN (subscription required), Harsin was trying to get clarity on the pool of money for his next hire. The Auburn head coach is looking to replace his fifth coordinator after Austin Davis stepped down as the offensive coordinator. He lasted just 34 days on the job as Davis stepped away for personal reasons.

The report states that Harsin grew frustrated with the lack of transparency from the leadership at Auburn. When he was unable to get answers on salary parameters, he wanted to speak with the Auburn Board of Trustees but outgoing school president Jay Gogue didn’t think that was in the best interests of the coach.

As it always seems to be the case, it feels like the administration and athletic department are on opposite ends of the spectrum.

“Auburn is always going through transition in leadership,” said an industry source familiar with the school’s inner-workings. “Therefore there’s no way to ever tell who is in control.”

While the leadership at Auburn is trying to separate fact from fiction when it comes to the speculation surrounding Harsin, they have also tied his hands in being able to do his job.

There should be clarity coming soon but for now, it seems like there are far more questions than answers. The big question is who is really making the call here? We will just have to wait and see.