Alabama has seen a mass exodus of assistant coaches leave but it’s not the end of the world as some outside the program would have you believe.
All of Nick Saban’s 2016 staff is gone and only one holdover from his 2017 staff remains in place at Alabama after a mass exodus of assistants found new jobs. Many outside Tuscaloosa believe this is a sign that the great Saban dynasty at Alabama is coming to an end, but it couldn’t be further from that.
Gone are offensive coordinator Mike Locksley, quarterbacks coach Dan Enos, receivers coach Josh Gattis and most recently, defensive coordinator and ace recruiter Tosh Lupoi.
Saban will have to find the next wave great assistant coaches to fill their spots who also double as stud recruiters.
Locksley was a successful reclamation project and returned to be the head coach at Maryland after overseeing the greatest offensive season in Alabama history. He’s been replaced with a better offensive mind in Steve Sarkisian who returns to Alabama after a brief stint with the Atlanta Falcons. He also has a preexisting relationship with Tua Tagovailoa when he recruited him at USC. The offense won’t miss a beat with Sarkisian taking over for Locksley.
The biggest loss on offense is Enos who left to take the offensive coordinator job at Miami after being elevated to replace Locksley as offensive coordinator. He was especially vital in the development of Tagovailoa and to a different degree with Jalen Hurts.
Gattis is at Michigan and Lupoi left for a position coach job with the Cleveland Browns. If Alabama doesn’t win the national championship next season, it won’t be because of coaching changes. The only loss that really stings is Gattis whose departure didn’t sit well with Saban.
“When coach Harbaugh called, it kind of caught me off guard, Gattis said, via the Detroit Free Press. I had just left a meeting with Nick Saban getting my butt chewed out for about 20 minutes telling him I was leaving and he was trying to get me to stay. It didn’t go over well. So if there was any Band-Aid to the bruise it was that (Harbaugh) phone call,” Gattis said during a conversation with Harbaugh on Harbaugh’s podcast this week. “It was exciting to hear his voice and get a chance to talk to him personally.”
The only coach who matters at Alabama is Saban and he’s not going anywhere.
This is what happens. Just as he does with his players after 3-5 years, his assistant coaches get processed too. He won’t have to fire you, he won’t say anything bad about you in the media, and he’ll make sure you land on your feet elsewhere. That’s just how things go, and the process has worked to the tune of six national championships, including five at Alabama.
The reason this year’s coaching exodus has received so much attention is because Alabama didn’t win the national championship after getting blown out by Clemson. When you don’t win, everything you do afterward is viewed under a microscope.
Saban had to make changes to his assistant coaches regardless of outside interest in his staff.
Lupoi is one of the best recruiters in the country, successfully bringing Tagovailoa, Jonah Williams, Najee Harris, Alex Leatherwood, Dylan Moses, Trevon Diggs and Raekwon Davis to Alabama. However, he didn’t grow into the defensive coordinator position like Saban had hoped. He got a shot. He didn’t deliver. Now it’s time to move on and find someone who can grow into that role.
It’s the same deal with players. If you don’t take advantage of your playing time and your opportunities, you’re going to be replaced. Don’t be surprised if Pete Golding takes his job after assuming more and more responsibilities as the season went on, including calling the defense, as The Athletic reported.
But also, don’t be surprised if Saban looks outside the organization to find the next young, bright, enthusiastic, insanely driven coach to join his staff.
Saban is the greatest coach in the game not only because of what he has done developing players but also because of his ability to develop assistant coaches. His coaching tree is sprawling across the nation where Kirby Smart, Jimbo Fisher, Will Muschamp, Mark Dantonio and Mario Cristobal are among his former assistants who are head coaches, and successful ones at that.
Alabama fans shouldn’t be concerned about the massive turnover on his staff in the last few years. Let the outside noise consume themselves with dreams of the Saban dynasty crumbling only to have their hearts ripped out of their chest when Alabama goes undefeated again and is playing for another National Championship.
The names of players change every few years and the results stay the same.
The same will happen with the coaching staff.