ESPN insider weighs in on Jeff Lebby, likelihood of becoming Alabama offensive coordinator

As Alabama continues to search for a new offensive coordinator following Bill O’Brien‘s departure for the NFL, a number of names have circulated in college football circles.

The one that seemingly comes up as much as any other for the Alabama gig is Jeff Lebby, the current offensive coordinator at Oklahoma. Prior to taking the job at Oklahoma, Lebby spent two seasons at Ole Miss. He has also worked for two years at UCF and a year at Southeastern, so he’s got plenty of background and recruiting ties in prime SEC locations.

“Jeff Lebby makes a lot of sense because he’s coached in the SEC,” said ESPN insider Chris Lowe. “He runs that tempo, fast-paced offense that I know Nick (Saban) feels like is really hard to stop now.”

What, exactly, Saban will be looking for in a new coordinator is unknown. Saban has shifted in the last several years from a very run-based approach to more of a spread.

Presumably he’d be looking to stick along those lines, though perhaps with a coordinator capable of installing some new wrinkles to keep things fresh.

One thing Lowe doesn’t envision happening, though, is Saban completely turning over the reins on that side of the ball. So if it’s Jeff Lebby for Alabama, expected it to be within the confines of Saban’s overall approach.

“Lebby, that’s pretty much the offense he runs,” said Lowe, referring to the high-tempo approach. “He hasn’t run some of the stuff we’ve seen them run under (Steve) Sarkisian and Bill O’Brien. It’s sort of been go, go, go all the time. Make no mistake, if you’re Nick Saban’s offensive coordinator, you’re not coming in and running your offense. You’re running his offense and you’re sort of the guy with your version of running his offense, and that’s never going to change.

“So yeah, I’d think Lebby would certainly be on that list.”

O’Brien officially took a job with the New England Patriots on Jan. 26, leaving the position open at Alabama.