ESPN insider breaks down Alabama offensive coordinator candidates after missing on Ryan Grubb

Alabama took a swing and missed in trying to hire Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb to the same position on Nick Saban’s staff. And who is next on the list isn’t entirely obvious, according to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg.

Speaking with Paul Finebaum on the SEC Network, Rittenberg highlighted current Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby as an option. Lebby’s name has been tied to the open Alabama offensive coordinator role, but there are doubts as to whether he’d leave Oklahoma, his alma mater, after just one season.

“I think Nick Saban has some options, potentially. Jeff Lebby’s name has come up, the Oklahoma offensive coordinator, formerly at Ole Miss. Would he want to leave Oklahoma, his alma mater, after one year and not a very good season to go back to the SEC? So we’ll see if that comes to fruition. His name has come up.”

One commonality among a bevy of Saban coordinators is NFL experience. Lane Kiffin, Steve Sarkisian and Bill O’Brien are just three. It’s not uncommon for Saban to look for a coordinator from the pro ranks.

But given the interest in Grubb — a college coach through and through — Saban might be on the hunt for a different type of coordinator. Only time will tell, at this point.

“Nick Saban has gone to the NFL or at least hired coaches that have NFL experience in the past. Could he do that again? Freddie Kitchens is an Alabama alum. He was a senior analyst at South Carolina this past year. Former head coach in the NFL. Does he look at somebody like that?” Rittenberg said. “Or does he go like the Ryan Grubb path with a coordinator that’s established themselves in the college game but maybe doesn’t have that NFL experience like Lane Kiffin did, like Steve Sarkisian did.”