5 offensive coordinators Alabama can hire if Bill O’Brien leaves for Patriots

Casey Woods was stellar with less talent at SMU and could be great for the Tide

Speaking of SMU, the man who replaced Riley with the Mustangs, Casey Woods, should be considered another rising star in the coaching ranks after the job he did. When Dykes and the majority of his staff left for TCU, there was a pretty sizeable exodus from Dallas that meant rebuilding on the fly. So it speaks to what Woods and the SMU staff did with the talent at their disposal to put up the numbers they did.

For the 2022 season, the Mustangs ranked 12th in total scoring offense while still being Top 20 in total yards per game. Yes, they did have experience in the form of guys like quarterback Tanner Mordecai and some high-end receiving talent, but it was still quite impressive for the offense and program to lose all it did and still perform at that level.

While Woods might seem a bit out of left field as a potential hire for the Crimson Tide offensive coordinator role, he’s someone who has pretty notable SEC experience. He played wide receiver at Tennessee and got his coaching start as a GA with the Vols. He has also served on staffs at both Auburn and Missouri previously, so he has an understanding of what the conference entails.

All told, Woods definitely wouldn’t be the first choice for Alabama to replace Bill O’Brien. But the truth of the matter is that his track record, even if brief, says he can maximize talent and get results, which is something the Tide haven’t seen under O’Brien.