Written by Andy Staples at SI.com
If Nick Saban truly meant the last line of his statement Tuesday following Steve Sarkisian’s departure after exactly one game as Alabama’s offensive coordinator, then Saban may have some recruiting to do.
“We appreciate all Coach Sarkisian did for our program during his time here,” Saban said in the statement. “He is an outstanding coach, and we wish him the best in his new role as Atlanta’s offensive coordinator. As always, when we have an opening on our staff, we will use it as an opportunity to go out and hire the best coach available.”
The best college offensive coach available right now is Chip Kelly. The question is whether Kelly, who has two NFL teams fighting over how to pay the buyouts both owe after firing him as their head coach, would want to work for a notoriously tough boss when multiple athletic directors will gleefully throw money at him during the coaching carousel that begins in November. Kelly doesn’t need the job, so what’s in it for him? Here’s what Saban can say.
Kelly seems to like the lifestyle in the NFL better. He didn’t have to recruit. He didn’t have to gladhand boosters. His problem is that after flops in Philadelphia and San Francisco, no one is exactly lining up to hire him—even as an offensive coordinator. Alabama’s offense has evolved over the years, but the system Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian left behind still looks like an NFL offense much of the time. Rather than bringing in his own scheme, Kelly could learn this one and add his own tweaks. That might show NFL teams that Kelly can adapt and is ready for another crack at that kind of offense.
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