Nick Saban reveals how Alabama is adjusting with two new coordinators

A new page has been turned at Alabama, as Nick Saban hired new offensive and defensive coordinators this offseason to get the Crimson Tide back on top of the college football world.

On the offensive side of things, former Notre Dame quarterback turned coordinator Tommy Rees has been entrusted with scoring points, while past Saban assistant Kevin Steele, who most recently was the defensive coordinator at Miami, is replacing Pete Golding as the Crimson Tide’s top defensive mind.

As you can tell, there’s plenty of work to be done this offseason to familiarize players with new concepts, and get Alabama back on top. Speaking with ESPN’s Heather Dinich on Wednesday, Saban elaborated on how the Crimson Tide are adjusting to their new voices on both sides of the football.

“Anytime we don’t get in the national championship game, you know, there’s a standard here that everybody sort of has an expectation for,” started Saban. “We want our players to stay focused on what they need to do to get there. Not the outcome, but what do we have to do to get the outcome.

“I think everybody in the organization is trying to figure out, ‘Okay, how do we go about this in a way that’s going to help us get there, with our players, our coaches and everybody in our organization?’ Because we have a high standard for what we want to accomplish, and what we want to do, and we have to get everybody to buy in to that, and understand the importance of doing the little things that will help them get where they want to be, and where we want to be.”

Continuing, Dinich expects a more-balanced offense to be the flavor of Saban’s changes, believing that while Rees will get the most out of Alabama’s young quarterback room without Bryce Young, the Crimson Tide offensive game-plan will turn back the clock.

“A more balanced offense,” answered Dinich, asked what she expects after talking to Saban. “When you look back at their stretch run of Nick Saban coached teams, there was a period where Alabama averaged at least 200 rushing yards almost every time they were out there. They got away from that a little bit, but some of it was because they had a quarterback who was so amazing in Bryce Young, and they didn’t have to run it as much. I think with a new starting quarterback, you’re going to see them put a little more emphasis on that.

“One of the things I talked to Nick Saban about was Alabama’s hire of offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, and he wants to see Tommy Rees develop these quarterbacks. Not only did he hire him because he’s an offensive coordinator, but Saban looked at Rees as a total package, because of what he’s been able to do in terms of developing players at that position. So I think it all starts there, and I think Alabama fans might see a bit more of a running game while they get those rookie quarterbacks going.”

As you can see, there’s a myriad of changes taking place in Tuscaloosa, but nobody should bet against Nick Saban coming out the other side smelling like roses, in a better shape than his program was before.