Nick Saban needs to avoid this Alabama defensive coordinator hire

Alabama fans will be furious is Nick Saban promotes Todd Grantham from within this winter.

While there is still a chance Nick Saban will be able to hire former Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt to be his new defensive coordinator, he does have a contingency plan of sorts in the form of Todd Grantham.

Grantham has been everywhere, man. He has been the defensive coordinator at Georgia, Louisville, Mississippi State and most recently Florida. He spent last season on Saban’s staff as an analyst after it hit the fan for him and Dan Mullen in Gainesville. While Grantham has so much defensive coordinator experience, college and pro, he is not going to help Alabama beat Georgia.

Saban has to nail both of his coordinator hires, but Grantham and Tommy Rees will not cut it.

Nick Saban could really go Third-and-Grantham on everyone this season, aight

Look. Saban is not getting any younger and the SEC is not getting any easier. Had this been a few years ago, the issues of promoting Grantham from within would not only be not be there, but it would be well-received. However, Alabama’s defense has largely regressed since Kirby Smart took over at Georgia and after Pruitt left for Tennessee. This has poked holes in the SEC West’s dynasty.

If Saban goes younger with someone of Rees’ generation on the defensive side of the ball, you could get behind it for being able to keep things fresh and relate to the players better. However, the tale has been written on Grantham. He is a good, but never great defensive coordinator. Third-and-Grantham has become synonymous with bringing the pressure and still giving up the big play.

Ultimately, you have to ask yourself this one question when making a coordinator hire at this point in time if you are Saban: Does this hire make Georgia uncomfortable? If the answer is yes, then make it happen. If the answer is no, then you will reap what you sow. And it is not just Georgia Alabama has to pay attention to. LSU and Ole Miss are humming, while Auburn is trending up, too.

Playing it safe could prove incredibly costly for Saban and the entire Alabama football program.

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