[ad_1]
Minutes before Alabama kicked off against Ohio State in the national championship game, major news arrived regarding the team’s upcoming offensive coordinator vacancy. According to Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports, an agreement between the former coach of the Houston Texans Bill o’brien and Alabama is expected to be completed in the coming days. O’Brien will replace Steven Sarkisian in Nick Saban’s staff, as Sarkisian was appointed head coach in Texas last week.
“As I reported last week Bill o’brien, the old one #Texans and the Penn State head coach visited Tuscaloosa to replace Steve Sargsyan as the OC of Alabama. I hear this deal should happen in the next few days, ”Feldman tweeted Monday night, shortly before the start of the national championship game.
O’Brien, who previously coached at Penn State, was terminated by Texans in October after a 0-4 start. O’Brien was hired by the Texans after a brief stint as Penn State head coach. In two years at the helm of the Nittany Lions from 2012 to 2013, O’Brien was a 15-9 combined.
The start of the season prompted the Texans to make the choice to fire O’Brien, but before that, a summer move had put O’Brien’s leadership in serious question. With quarterback Deshaun Watson emerging as a young league star, O’Brien made the decision to trade DeAndre Hopkins – one of the NFL’s top receivers – to the Arizona Cardinals with a fourth-round pick. In exchange, the Texans got a running back David johnson, a second-round pick in 2020 and a fourth-round pick in 2021.
O’Brien’s dismissal was pulled less than a year from the Texans, posting a 10-6 regular-season record and winning a playoff game before falling to eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs , during the division round. In just over six seasons with the franchise, he’s posted a 52-48 record with four playoff appearances.
Sarkisian’s attack with the Crimson Tide has shattered the program’s records this season and he hopes to keep it going for another game against undefeated Ohio State.
“I made a commitment to Coach Saban and these players to see that through in the championship game,” Sarkisian said, via AL.com, “and then right after that, I’ll be in Austin.”
Get the fastest scores, stats, news, LIVE videos, and more. CLICK HERE to download the CBS Sports mobile app and get the latest news from your team today.
In his second season as an Alabama player, Sarkisian is overseeing a Crimson Tide offense that averaged 49.7 points and 543.9 yards per game before Friday’s playoff victory over Notre Dame, the two brands that are leading the FBS ranks, according to BamaOnline. Alabama’s streak of 35 or more has ended in 24 straight games against the Irish, which was the longest streak in major college football history.
Brad Crawford, Riley Gates and Chance Linton of 247Sports contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
Source link