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

Alabama could be sneaky by replacing Bill O’Brien with Warren Ruggiero

Looking around the college football landscape, one name you rarely hear in terms of offensive coordinators who could be looking to take a step up in terms of the program they work for is Wake Forest offensive coordinator Warren Ruggiero. Consistently, but especially with Sam Hartman at quarterback, the Demon Deacons have been an offensive force out of the ACC.

They did take a step back in the 2022 season but were still Top 20 in scoring offense. What makes that more impressive is that Wake Forest operates at a disadvantage from many Power 5 programs in a manner similar to Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt and Notre Dame, but without the football prestige of the latter, due to its rigorous academic standards.

That limits the overall talent that the Deacs are able to simply get on the field as they can’t take as many academic risks with recruiting. But that hasn’t stopped Ruggiero from consistently yielding high-end results on the offensive end since he took over the coaching position back ahead of the 2014 season.

What makes this all the more interesting is some apparent unrest at Wake Forest. Hartman appears set to depart from the program as a graduate transfer, the coaching staff — aside from Dave Clawson — might see changes, and that might make Ruggiero poachable. If that’s indeed the case, Alabama would be wise to make a call.