Lane Kiffin calls for Alabama fans to trust Nick Saban following coordinator hires
Alabama fans were begging head coach Nick Saban to get rid of both offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien and DC Pete Golding. To a certain extent, wishes were granted, as both heading elsewhere for different jobs following an 11-2 season in Tuscaloosa. Fireworks were expected from Saban as to who the two new coordinators would be.
Notre Dame‘s Tommy Rees and Miami defensive coordinator Kevin Steele were the two selections, with both having quality Power Five experience. Even so, Crimson Tide fans are still not thrilled, questioning the moves Saban is making. But as Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin pointed out, people need to trust the process with Saban.
Kiffin was his normal active self on Twitter on Monday, pointing out Saban was still able to land the No. 1 recruiting class in the country. Mostly everyone knew staff changes were going to be made but Alabama found a way to haul in players impressive for even their standards.
To make matters even funnier, Kiffin was the one who stole Golding away. The defensive coordinator is crossing state lines to work for Ole Miss. Maybe Kiffin is just part of Saban’s master plan after all. Steele is the replacement, reuniting with who Kiffin continually calls the G.O.A.T.
As for O’Brien, he made his way back to the NFL to work with the New England Patriots. Rees will be stepping in but was certainly not the first choice. However, Saban is brining the former Notre Dame OC into the program, possibly hoping to bring back a certain style of football.
Alabama locks down top-rated recruiting class
Very few programs can continually keep up with Alabama when it comes to recruiting, with Georgia and Ohio State being two that come to mind. However, Saban was on a different level this cycle, comfortably finishing with the nation’s top overall class and obtaining a ridiculous average rating of 94.11.
Seven different On3 Consensus five-star prospects will be added to the program, with safety Caleb Downs, EDGE Keon Keeley, and offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor all having Five-Star Plus+ status. Truly an insane class, especially with coaching changes occurring around signing day.
At the very least, both Rees and Steele are going to have fresh talent at their disposals. Good thing is, there is already a boatload of high rated recruits in Tuscaloosa already. Neither coordinator will be downgrading from their previous stop.
Kiffin pulled off his best Aaron Rodgers impression, telling everyone to relax. Whether or not fans listen to the advice will most likely depend on results from the 2023 season.