Morgantown, West Virginia – When Tom Herman was fired as the head coach of the Texas Longhorns, Texas didn’t waste time in replacing him, hiring former Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian.
Sarkisian, who has served as the offensive coordinator under Nick Saban since 2017, will remain with Alabama through the national championship game against Ohio State. Following the game, however, the Crimson Tide will have an opening at offensive coordinator.
The offensive coordinator position at Alabama is a very high profile role and takes a special kind of coach to fill it. Major Applewhite, Lane Kiffin, Jim McElwain, Brian Daboll, Mike Locksley and Sarkisian have all been offensive coordinators under Saban and it’s not easy to win his trust. Saban, by all accounts, is a perfectionist.
With that said, Rich Rodriguez has 16 years of experience as a head coach and is considered an offensive genius due to the innovative spread offense that he created. While his conduct off the field can be questioned, it’s impossible to question his accomplishments and credentials on the field.
Rodriguez wants to win more than anyone. He’s obsessed with it. And imagine his read option spread offense with the incredible talent that Alabama has every year. It would be unstoppable.
Combine that with Rodriguez and Saban being from the same area, and it appears to be a match made in almost heaven. If Saban is interested, he may need to move quickly on hiring Rodriguez, however.
According to Adam Hunsucker of The News Star, Rodriguez is a candidate to join Terry Bowden’s staff at the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
Bowden recently took the head coach position at ULM and is reportedly close to hiring Rodriguez as the offensive coordinator for the Warhawks.
Best of luck to Coach Rodriguez regardless of where he coaches next! Once a Mountaineers, Always a Mountaineer!
Sources: Rich Rodriguez is a candidate to join Terry Bowden’s staff at ULM.
The former WVU, Michigan and Arizona coach was last the OC at Ole Miss in 2019.
— Adam Hunsucker (@Adam_Hunsucker) December 31, 2020
