TUSCALOOSA, Ala.–With him delivering an introductory press conference at Florida Atlantic University, the search to replace Lane Kiffin at offensive coordinator begins for Alabama coach Nick Saban and his staff.
Creativity and balance are both aspects to be noted in finding a match, especially with how Kiffin managed to produce to three Southeastern Conference champions at quarterback and navigate the Crimson Tide to its best output under Saban—40.5 points and 471.3 yards a game. A few media outlets have already started throwing multiple names into the rumor mill and though Saban likes to handle matters internally, yours truly of TDAL Magazine has compiled some potential candidates that Alabama should look at in moving forward.
External options
Mark Helfrich
Regardless of failure at Oregon as a head coach, Helfrich is one of the brighter offensive minds in college football. During his four years as a coordinator (2009-12), he mentored three different signal callers in Jeremiah Masoli, Darron Thomas and Marcus Mariota.
All three would toss for 2,000-plus yards, while posting under 10 interceptions.
Helfrich guided the trio to a different BCS Bowl Game and for Thomas in particular, he coached him to the 2011 BCS National Championship Game against Auburn (2010 season). Masoli, Thomas and Mariota combined for 10,448 passing yards with 110 touchdowns to 28 interceptions in four seasons.
Helfrich won 86.8 percent of his games as a coordinator (46-7), while going 2-2 in bowls.
Despite his last two seasons being difficult, his second year as the Ducks’ head man could not have been scripted any better. Oregon clinched a Pac-12 championship and advanced into the first-ever College Football Playoff in 2014. After defeating Florida State, it took on Ohio State in the national championship game.
The Ducks ultimately fell, 42-20, but Mariota would win the Heisman Trophy.
Helfrich coached him 4,454 passing yards and 42 touchdowns to four picks. As Chip Kelly’s successor, Helfrich was brought to Saban a number of times by Kelly when he came to Tuscaloosa to observe Saban’s offense, prior to going to the National Football League.
Lincoln Riley
Kiffin was not the only one that Houston turned down.
Lincoln Riley, who was born and raised in Lubbock, Texas, was also spurned by the Cougars. After it was reported that he was dominating the interview process, Houston would extend its hand to Major Applewhite.
A former quarterback for the Red Raiders, Riley’s coaching start at Texas Tech came as a student assistant (2003-05) and graduate assistant (2006) under Mike Leach. He then served at wide receivers coach from 2007-09, grooming the likes Michael Crabtree, Detron Lewis, Eric Morris, Edward Britton, Tramain Swindall and Lyle Leong. Crabtree was the headliner of the group, accounting for 1,165 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns on 97 catches as a sophomore in 2008.
In molding receivers, Riley joined its chemistry with quarterback Graham Harrell. Harrell led college football in 2008, passing for 5,111 yards with 45 touchdowns to nine interceptions. He completed 70.6 percent of his throws, helping both himself and Crabtree earn a trip to New York City for the Heisman Memorial Trophy presentation. Texas Tech went 29-10 during Riley’s tenure at receivers coach, including an 11-2 mark in the 2008 season. He left the Red Raiders for East Carolina in 2010, to serve at offensive coordinator.
Upon toiling through some rough years, Riley found much success in 2013. He caught lightning in a bottle with quarterback Shane Carden and wide receiver Justin Hardy, navigating both players to strong seasons.
Carden, like Harrell, completed over 70 percent of his throws (70.5) for 4,139 yards with 33 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. Hardy brought in 1,284 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on 114 catches, aiding the Pirates to an average of 40.2 points per game. East Carolina ended 2013 at 10-3, and returned the next year at 8-5.
Now at Oklahoma, Riley continues to push the envelope in generating success.
Under his leadership, quarterback Baker Mayfield has posted two 3,000-yard seasons (2015-16). He’s the 9th-best passer in college football this year, collecting 3,669 yards and 38 touchdowns to eight interceptions.
The Sooners are ranked fifth in the nation in total offense (557 ypg), while it stands third in scoring offense (44.7 ppg). Riley has added the dimension of a run game to along with his prior notion developing quarterbacks and wide receivers. The combination of Samaje Perine (974 rush yards, 11 touchdowns) and Joe Mixon (1,183 rush yards, eight touchdowns) have combined for 19 scores, while Mixon is a 1,000-yard rusher.
Dede Westbrook has benefited from both Riley and Mayfield, as he leads the team with 1,465 yards receiving and 16 touchdowns on 74 catches. Riley is one of few coordinators to have two players represent a team as Heisman finalists for two different programs. Mayfield and Westbrook became his second pairing for New York, both finishing in the top five this season. He’s also one of few assistants that has been hands-on in seeing three different schools average at least 40 points a game in a season (Texas Tech, East Carolina, Oklahoma).
Kendall Briles
Kendall Briles will not be retained at Baylor upon the conclusion of the season.
During his nine seasons (2008-present), he’s helped his father (Art Briles) get the program to achieve new heights. After serving at wide receivers coach and offensive recruiter from 2008-11, Briles started work as the Bears’ pass game coordinator in 2012. In this time, Baylor became the NFL pipeline for receivers.
Marquee names that include Kendall Wright, Josh Gordon, Terrance Williams, Corey Coleman, Tevin Reese and Antwan Goodley all made an NFL roster.
KD Cannon, a junior, is projected to be the next first-round pick for Baylor. He stands with 989 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns on 73 catches through 13 games. Like Riley and Helfrich, Briles has coached multiple quarterbacks to success. His path started with Robert Griffith III in 2011. Formerly known as RGIII, Griffith completed 72.4 percent of his passes for 4,293 yards with 37 touchdowns to six interceptions in 2011 season.
Baylor finished at 10-3, while Griffith was awarded the Heisman Trophy. Briles’ essence would rub off on Nick Florence and Bryce Petty, but Petty in particular had just 10 interceptions in two years as a starter (2013-14).
Briles would go 30-9 as an assistant, while aiding the team to an average of 48.4 points from 2012-14.
Internal options
Steve Sarkisian
Knowing Kiffin’s thirst to be a head coach again sparked Saban to hire his former confidant, Steve Sarkisian, as an offensive analyst. Sarkisian, who’s a year older than Kiffin (42), started working with quarterbacks at Southern California in 2001 while Kiffin was with tight ends.
After encountering some issues earlier in his career, quarterback Carson Palmer got on the same page with Sarkisian during the 2002 season and excelled. He would complete 63.2 percent of his throws for 3,492 passing yards with 33 touchdowns to 10 interceptions, en route to hoisting the Heisman Memorial Trophy and guiding the Trojans to be champions of the Orange Bowl.
A year later, Sarkisian got his hands on a freshman signal caller in Matt Leinart.
He mentored Leinart to 3,556 passing yards with 38 touchdowns to nine interceptions. USC finished the 2003 season at 12-1, capturing a Pac-10 championship, a Rose Bowl title and a national championship via the Associated Press. Leinart built off the success in 2004, by totaling 3,322 yards with 33 touchdowns to six picks.
Despite being stripped of its Orange Bowl title and BCS national championship, the Trojans are still recognized as AP national champions. Leinart became Sarkisian’s second Heisman winner, earning the trophy in 2004.
Two more quarterback would gain wisdom from the California native, as John David Booty (2003-07) and Mark Sanchez (2006-08) came calling. While Booty compiled 5,708 yards and 52 touchdowns in two seasons as a starter (2006-07), Sanchez had 3,207 passing yards with 34 touchdowns to 10 interceptions in his lone year of calling the shots during the 2008 season.
He’s known for producing two 1,000-yard rushers in Reggie Bush and LenDale White at USC in 2005, however, Sarkisian became balanced when he took the head coaching job at Washington. During his five seasons (2009-13), the Huskies at least one 1,000-yard running back. Chris Polk was a three-time 1,000-yard back (2009-11), while Bishop Sankey got it done in 2012 and 2013.
Of the 27 players Sarkisian put in the NFL Draft for Washington, 15 came on offense (55.6 percent). Two of those players were quarterbacks Jake Locker and Keith Price. Price was a 3,000-yard passer (3,063) in 2011, and added 33 touchdown passes to 11 interceptions.
In his return to USC in 2014, Sarkisian developed Cody Kessler to be an NFL-caliber quarterback.
He recorded two 3,000-yard passing seasons (2014-15), and totaled 68 scores. Off-field issues led to him getting fired at USC, but Saban’s strict policy of no shenanigans kept Sarkisian in line this season.
He’s currently the “de facto” name to assume the role.
Billy Napier
Billy Napier is in his fourth season as the Tide’s wide receivers coach, but he’s been a part of Nick Saban’s staff since 2011. He worked as an offensive analyst from 2011 to 2012, helping the team win back-to-back BCS national championships. The Chatsworth, Ga., native became Alabama’s receivers coach in 2013, mentoring a talented roster led by sophomore Amari Cooper.
Napier’s second year around wide outs helped Cooper turn in an All-American outing, having a single-season record of 1,727 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns on 124 catches in 2014. Cooper would go on to win the Southeastern Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year Award and Fred Biletnikoff Award (nation’s top receiver), while being recognized as a Heisman finalist.
Last season, Napier coached Calvin Ridley, ArDarius Stewart, O.J. Howard and Richard Mullaney to solid performances. Ridley, a freshman then, led the unit with 1,045 yards receiving and seven touchdowns on 89 catches. Howard exploded during postseason action, recording eight receptions for 267 yards and two touchdowns in the College Football Playoff. With much of Alabama’s big plays going to Ridley and Stewart this year and Napier already knowing a lot of Saban’s tendencies, he would be an ideal fit—if Sarkisian is not ready.
Mike Locksley
Not to use the term “worst case scenario,” but it would be the notion should Saban bump Mike Locksley to offensive coordinator. He’s spent 20 years on offense since moving to that side of the ball in 1996, when took a job at Army as an assistant (WRs/TEs). Locksley has seen a couple nice moments in his coaching career, with a few coming at big time programs.
He prepared quarterback Juice Williams and wide receiver Arrelious Benn for the NFL while they were at Illinois in 2008. Williams had 3,173 passing yards, 719 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns. Benn caught 67 passes for 1,055 yards and three scores for Locksley and the Fighting Illini during the ’08 season.
In three years at Maryland (2013-15), Locksley guided the Terrapins to bowl games in 2013 and 2014.
Stephen M. Smith is a senior analyst and columnist for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @Smsmith_TDALMag.
