Fans of Alabama football are in a mixed bag of emotions.
Although the fan base is excited about its team playing for a College Football Playoff National Championship, it is concerned about the focus of its offensive coordinator — Steve Sarkisian — as he accepted the head coaching job at the University of Texas.
RELATED: REPORT: Steve Sarkisian is targeting three Alabama assistants to join his offensive staff at Texas
While the Crimson Tide prepares for Ohio State, it is time to look at some potential suitors that could take over for the departing Sarkisian after this season. A lot of names have been tossed into the rumor mill and some of these have been confirmed to yours truly of Touchdown Alabama Magazine (via respectable sources) as legitimate candidates. On Monday, I broke down my top names that the Tide should consider for the position via In My Own Words.
Listed below are my top five suitors for Alabama.
*Potential names to replace Steve Sarkisian at OC starts at 1:17:30 mark
5. Andrew Sowder, OC, Kent State
As the offensive coordinator of Nick Saban’s Alma mater, Andrew Sowder has improved Kent State’s scoring attack in each of the last three years. After being hired in 2018, he guided the Golden Flashes to 29.2 points per game and a 7-6 record in 2019.
He produced a quarterback (Dustin Crum) that totaled 20 touchdown passes to two interceptions, while having three 500-plus yard receivers and two 500-plus yard rushers.
Before the Mid-American Conference (MAC) canceled its season, due to concerns with Coronavirus, Kent State earned three victories in four games.
Sowder had the offense totaling 49.8 points per matchup.
RELATED: Nick Saban reportedly considering Adam Gase for OC position
Despite being effective on quite a few coaching staffs, Sowder saw his biggest success as a wide receivers’ coach at Bowling Green State University from 2014 to 2015.
Seven players totaled at least 500 receiving yards, including the duo of Roger Lewis and Gehrig Dieter, who were both 1,000-yard targets. Lewis was a back-to-back 1,000-yard weapon (2014-15), while Dieter hit the mark in 2015 with 1,033 yards and 10 touchdowns on 94 catches. The Falcons were highly explosive under Sowder in 2015, recording the nation’s No. 4 total offense (546.8 ypg) and No. 6 scoring offense (42.2 ppg) with a 10-4 record to end the year.
Bowling Green was a two-time MAC East Division Champion (2014-15) and a MAC Champion (2015) with Sowder.
He also helped two 3,000-yard quarterbacks in James Knapke (3,173, in 2014) and Matt Johnson (4,946, in 2015).
4. Jeff Lebby, OC, Ole Miss
This would be one of the most underrated hires, if Saban and Alabama could pull if off.
Jeff Lebby is not only a hot name, but he also has consistent production as a coordinator. During his nine seasons at Baylor (2008-16), he served as offensive quality control coach, running backs’ coach, passing game coordinator and offensive recruiting coordinator. Lebby coached a trio of 3,000-yard passers, including a Heisman winner (Robert Griffin III) in the 2011 season.
Griffin had 4,293 passing yards in 2011, Nick Florence had 4,309 yards in 2012, and Bryce Petty totaled 4,200 yards in 2013.
An alumnus of the University of Oklahoma, Lebby mentored three 1,000-yard rushers — Lache Seastrunk, Shock Linwood and Terence Williams — and five 1,000-yard receivers with Kendall Wright, Terrence Williams, Antwan Goodley, Corey Coleman and KD Cannon.
In a five-year span, which went from 2011 to 2015, Baylor averaged 47.7 points per game. Lebby had the offense accounting for 52.4 points per contest in 2013; the year the Bears finished at 11-2 — despite a loss to UCF in its bowl game.
RELATED: SOURCES: Former NFL head coach, Bill O’Brien visits Alabama football this weekend
When it comes to life after Baylor, Lebby had success at UCF from 2018 to 2019.
He was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks’ coach for the Knights. In both years, UCF compiled a record of 22-4 and averaged 43.3 points per game. After assisting McKenzie Milton to a strong year in 2018 (25 touchdowns, six interceptions), Lebby got his first 3,000-yard quarterback in Dillon Gabriel (3,653). He also produced a 1,000-yard rusher (Greg McCrae) and a 1,000-yard receiver (Gabriel Davis) in 2019.
This season, Lebby has been great for Lane Kiffin in his first year at Ole Miss.
He’s guided Matt Corral to a be a 3,000-yard passer (3,337) and has him completing 70.9 percent of his throws.
Lebby also popped a 1,000-yard receiver in Elijah Moore (1,193) on 86 catches with eight touchdowns.
3. Hugh Freeze, HC, Liberty
Hugh Freeze is no stranger to the Southeastern Conference.
He has turned his career around at Liberty — posting an 18-6 record in two years — but he had huge success at Ole Miss in five seasons (2012-16) as head coach. Freeze is one of few coaches that has defeated Nick Saban twice. He got him in 2014 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium (Oxford, Miss.) and beat Saban again in 2015 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. His offenses at Mississippi were creative and quarterback-friendly, as Bo Wallace and Chad Kelly both emerged as 3,000-yard signal callers under Freeze.
Wallace did it twice (2013, 2014) and Kelly tossed for 4,042 yards in 2015.
RELATED: BREAKING: Texas Longhorns have hired Steve Sarkisian as its new head football coach
Sixteen players totaled 500 receiving yards at Ole Miss with Freeze, including a 1,000-yard man in Laquon Treadwell in 2015.
It has only been a program for three years, but Liberty is rising.
Freeze popped out a 3,000-yard quarterback (Stephen Calvert, 3,663), a 1,000-yard rusher (Frankie Hickson, 1,041) and a 1,000-yard receiver (Antonio Gandy-Golden, 1,396) in 2019.
He did not have student-athletes with massive numbers in 2020; however, Liberty defeated two ACC teams — Syracuse and Virginia Tech — and produced a 10-win campaign in Freeze’s second year.
2. Luke Getsy, QBs/PGC, Green Bay Packers
At 36 years old, Luke Getsy is becoming a popular name in the National Football League.
He is the quarterbacks’ coach and passing game coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. As he works closely with Matt LaFeur (Packers’ head coach), Getsy has the Packers boasting the top scoring offense (31.8 ppg) in the league.
Green Bay has the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs at 13-3 and clinched a first-round bye. With Getsy, Aaron Rodgers has turned in Most Valuable Player numbers — totaling 4,299 passing yards and 48 touchdowns. Aaron Jones has 1,104 yards rushing with nine scores, while DaVante Adams chimes in with 1,374 yards receiving and 18 touchdowns on 115 catches.
Typically, Coach Saban likes to go after coaches with NFL experience but also be willing to recruit.
RELATED: Nick Saban tells ESPN that Jaylen Waddle has a chance to play in CFP National Championship Game
As a young name, Getsy offers both. The offense that Green Bay runs carries some similarity to what Alabama does and if the Packers were to win the Super Bowl, getting a championship coordinator would be a great move for the Tide.
1. Joe Brady, OC, Carolina Panthers
He was an offensive assistant under Sean Payton from 2017 to 2018 with the New Orleans Saints; however, it was Joe Brady’s work at Louisiana State University as a passing game coordinator and wide receivers’ coach that mesmerized people.
The 31-year-old elevated Joe Burrow from a sixth-round pick to the No. 1 overall pick in one season.
He coached the Ohio native to 5,671 passing yards and 60 touchdown passes in 2019 — en route to Burrow capturing the Heisman Memorial Trophy and guiding the Tigers to a national championship. Brady’s innovative mindset also helped Clyde Edwards-Helaire become a 1,000-yard rusher (1,414) and it positioned four receiving options to have massive success in college football.
Ja’Marr Chase led LSU for receiving yards (1,780) and touchdowns (20). He would win the Fred Biletnikoff Award and though he did not play this season, Chase is still regarded as one of the top receivers for the NFL Draft. Justin Jefferson had a team-high 111 receptions for 1,540 yards and 18 scores in 2019. He was selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. Terrace Marshall chimed in with 13 touchdowns on 46 catches, while Thaddeus Moss grabbed four scoring passes.
LSU averaged 48.4 points and 568.4 yards per game in 2019.
RELATED: Alabama WR DeVonta Smith wins the 2020 Paul Hornung Award
It achieved a perfect season that does not happen without Brady. Things did not go according to plan for him with the Carolina Panthers and he has been linked to some head coaching jobs. The quickest way to land a head coaching opportunity is to come to Alabama and learn from Saban’s rehab clinic. If the Tide could pull Brady, he would inherit a roster littered with talent on offense.
Other names being mentioned: Bill O’Brien, Adam Gase, Tom Herman, Freddie Kitches, Chip Long, Major Applewhite, Mike Bobo and Phil Longo
Reports have already discussed O’Brien being in Tuscaloosa (Ala.) on the University of Alabama campus.
A report also came from Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports on Adam Gase being a possible candidate.
SOURCE: Two of the coaches Nick Saban is considering for Alabama’s soon to be vacant offensive coordinator role: former Jets head coach Adam Gase and former Texans/Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) January 4, 2021
We shall see what happens moving forward, but Alabama is focused on Ohio State right now.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith
