Bama (finally) Fires OL Coach Kapilovic

[Cruloc]

Exceptional quarterback play kept Saban from getting blown out, unless you’re forgetting the Golding years.

How many blowouts do you think would’ve happened if you replaced Bryce Young with Jalen Milroe? Tyler Buchner? Ty Simpson? Line couldn’t block, defense couldn’t stop anyone, Bryce would keep the scoring pace.

Nobody said anything about Saban, only Golding. (Credit to Crimson Audio for keeping his eye on the HMIC in this case. )

Well, Saban did replace Bryce with Milroe. We got beat vs Texas with two of the worst interceptions you'll ever see. And lost vs Michigan in the playoffs.

Defense kept us from being mediocre in 23.

And, as has been said multiple times, we had issues especially along the OL in Sabans last years.

Im not sure where you're going here other than trying to say people never blamed Saban for anything. Which just isnt true.

 

[Evil Crimson Dragon]

for the record, I was an equal oppty critic back then. Not only Golding, but also BOB, and that Saban needed to do something to address both.

I never understood why he never got the backups alot of playing time...........

 

[Evil Crimson Dragon]

I tried figuring out this guy's resume, why he's out of work for years at a time and what not. Then I got to this:
His last steady job was UCLA in 2016. They averaged 2.9 per rush. Second worst rushing offense in college football. Bad enough apparently to put him out of work for years.

I don't know the deal, I don't understand why he spends one year at a job then takes a year off, then ends up as an analyst but the last time he held a job for an extended period of time it ended rather horribly and then he didn't even have a job for a couple years. I don't know his upside, but that's a scary downside.

There's something going on with him, if I go back he had a stretch at UCLA where his team performed fine. But, his resume starts off normal and just gets really weird. Since then he hasn't been an OL coach for longer than a year at a time. That's a giant red flag.

The most my quick search would reveal is this: "It was rumoured that Klemm's poor relationship with Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada caused head coach Mike Tomlin to agree to release Klemm in the knowledge that Klemm would not have continued in his role in the following year."

Just... something going on there, you hold the Steelers OL job one year, then the Oregon OL job one year, then the Patriots OL job one year then you find yourself out of work for a year, then an analyst. This is not what you normally look for in a good resume.

Edit: Alright this is not substantiated but here's what another quick thing dig up:
"He left Pittsburgh with only two games left in the regular season. While he had already accepted a job at Oregon, Mike Tomlin released him early to "eliminate distractions."

"His time at UCLA (2012–2016) was his longest coaching stint, but it was also the most controversial:

• NCAA Suspension: He was suspended in 2015 for NCAA rules violations related to "unpermitted benefits" for recruits.
• Player Lawsuits: He was named in lawsuits by former players regarding the mishandling of injuries, though he was eventually dismissed from those suits in 2021."

His most recent stint with the New England Patriots was particularly rocky. He took a leave of absence in November 2023 due to what was described as a "serious medical issue."

However, behind the scenes, reports from the Boston Herald indicated significant friction. He reportedly had a "loud, heated confrontation" with Director of Player Personnel Matt Groh early in the season over the lack of talent on the offensive line. He did not return to the team in 2024."

So... seems like the kind of hire Saban might make or stash, but also seems like the kind of guy you have to be able to manage and keep a close eye on.

He has bagged some top recruits, probably why he's a consideration (Kap was a good recruiter). Of course he did it by breaking the rules apparently. Seems like he doesn't always get along well with others, but then again may be he'll bring some fire to the locker room.

Heck, I don't know anymore, seems extremely high risk/high reward. Could blow up in Alabama's face, could be what they need.

Don't think Bama needs that.............there are better choices out there

 

[The Ols]

I think the more concerning alternative is he’s just making up stuff as he goes along. If it’s such a desirable model, we should have two years of it already under our belt.

OR…hear me out here…he's trying to adapt because our run game was inept?!? Like…he’s coaching…

 

[JDCrimson]

I tried figuring out this guy's resume, why he's out of work for years at a time and what not. Then I got to this:
His last steady job was UCLA in 2016. They averaged 2.9 per rush. Second worst rushing offense in college football. Bad enough apparently to put him out of work for years.

I don't know the deal, I don't understand why he spends one year at a job then takes a year off, then ends up as an analyst but the last time he held a job for an extended period of time it ended rather horribly and then he didn't even have a job for a couple years. I don't know his upside, but that's a scary downside.

There's something going on with him, if I go back he had a stretch at UCLA where his team performed fine. But, his resume starts off normal and just gets really weird. Since then he hasn't been an OL coach for longer than a year at a time. That's a giant red flag.

The most my quick search would reveal is this: "It was rumoured that Klemm's poor relationship with Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada caused head coach Mike Tomlin to agree to release Klemm in the knowledge that Klemm would not have continued in his role in the following year."

Just... something going on there, you hold the Steelers OL job one year, then the Oregon OL job one year, then the Patriots OL job one year then you find yourself out of work for a year, then an analyst. This is not what you normally look for in a good resume.

Edit: Alright this is not substantiated but here's what another quick thing dig up:
"He left Pittsburgh with only two games left in the regular season. While he had already accepted a job at Oregon, Mike Tomlin released him early to "eliminate distractions."

"His time at UCLA (2012–2016) was his longest coaching stint, but it was also the most controversial:

• NCAA Suspension: He was suspended in 2015 for NCAA rules violations related to "unpermitted benefits" for recruits.
• Player Lawsuits: He was named in lawsuits by former players regarding the mishandling of injuries, though he was eventually dismissed from those suits in 2021."

His most recent stint with the New England Patriots was particularly rocky. He took a leave of absence in November 2023 due to what was described as a "serious medical issue."

However, behind the scenes, reports from the Boston Herald indicated significant friction. He reportedly had a "loud, heated confrontation" with Director of Player Personnel Matt Groh early in the season over the lack of talent on the offensive line. He did not return to the team in 2024."

So... seems like the kind of hire Saban might make or stash, but also seems like the kind of guy you have to be able to manage and keep a close eye on.

He has bagged some top recruits, probably why he's a consideration (Kap was a good recruiter). Of course he did it by breaking the rules apparently. Seems like he doesn't always get along well with others, but then again may be he'll bring some fire to the locker room.

Heck, I don't know anymore, seems extremely high risk/high reward. Could blow up in Alabama's face, could be what they need.

This is a guy we need to avoid. Recruiting is still important but its greased with NIL. Players want the bag and development. We need to focus on development.

I would be okay doing away with the TE coach and having a coach for Tackles and TEs and a coach for IOL. The TEs already split drills with WRs and OL.

I would like to see Vlachos hired to coach the IOL and then someone else more experienced coaching OT/TE.

 

[JustNeedMe81]

I tried figuring out this guy's resume, why he's out of work for years at a time and what not. Then I got to this:
His last steady job was UCLA in 2016. They averaged 2.9 per rush. Second worst rushing offense in college football. Bad enough apparently to put him out of work for years.

I don't know the deal, I don't understand why he spends one year at a job then takes a year off, then ends up as an analyst but the last time he held a job for an extended period of time it ended rather horribly and then he didn't even have a job for a couple years. I don't know his upside, but that's a scary downside.

There's something going on with him, if I go back he had a stretch at UCLA where his team performed fine. But, his resume starts off normal and just gets really weird. Since then he hasn't been an OL coach for longer than a year at a time. That's a giant red flag.

The most my quick search would reveal is this: "It was rumoured that Klemm's poor relationship with Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada caused head coach Mike Tomlin to agree to release Klemm in the knowledge that Klemm would not have continued in his role in the following year."

Just... something going on there, you hold the Steelers OL job one year, then the Oregon OL job one year, then the Patriots OL job one year then you find yourself out of work for a year, then an analyst. This is not what you normally look for in a good resume.

Edit: Alright this is not substantiated but here's what another quick thing dig up:
"He left Pittsburgh with only two games left in the regular season. While he had already accepted a job at Oregon, Mike Tomlin released him early to "eliminate distractions."

"His time at UCLA (2012–2016) was his longest coaching stint, but it was also the most controversial:

• NCAA Suspension: He was suspended in 2015 for NCAA rules violations related to "unpermitted benefits" for recruits.
• Player Lawsuits: He was named in lawsuits by former players regarding the mishandling of injuries, though he was eventually dismissed from those suits in 2021."

His most recent stint with the New England Patriots was particularly rocky. He took a leave of absence in November 2023 due to what was described as a "serious medical issue."

However, behind the scenes, reports from the Boston Herald indicated significant friction. He reportedly had a "loud, heated confrontation" with Director of Player Personnel Matt Groh early in the season over the lack of talent on the offensive line. He did not return to the team in 2024."

So... seems like the kind of hire Saban might make or stash, but also seems like the kind of guy you have to be able to manage and keep a close eye on.

He has bagged some top recruits, probably why he's a consideration (Kap was a good recruiter). Of course he did it by breaking the rules apparently. Seems like he doesn't always get along well with others, but then again may be he'll bring some fire to the locker room.

Heck, I don't know anymore, seems extremely high risk/high reward. Could blow up in Alabama's face, could be what they need.

@KrAzY3 I think it's easy to explain some of his absence... there was some rumor that he wasn't healthy and had to deal with a medical condition. That would explain some things.

I do agree that he's someone who can definitely recuit and can develop, but if anything, he has experience...

 

[BamaInCummingGA]

Here’s a prime example of what I’m talking about, 20 wins in two years, an SEC championship appearance, a playoff win, but it’s how he’s losing that’s talked about. Saban was skull drug by Dabo and maybe it’s Mabelline and all people did on here was talk about sign stealing and blame Tua, pick plays are the blame for the other loss. Dabo, the guy most here think couldn’t coach his way out of a wet paper bag.

Here’s another one for you: quarterback usage. You know who relied heavily on quarterback play to have what success he had his last few years? Nick Saban owes his last few seasons worth of wins to Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe. From 2021 on, quarterback play at Alabama covered up the decay of the program. Bryce Young did an excellent job, Milroe not so much. Now it’s a knock on DeBoer that his system needs exceptional quarterback play, even though it’s exceptional quarterback play that beats elite defenses.

You guys aren’t waiting to see if it pans out, you’re just biding your time to find something else to whine about.

How many times did CNS just get blown out with a team that looked totally unprepared?
I'll bet it wasn't 4 times in two years. So, yeah, how you lose/get blown out can be a cause for concern.
And, yes, after reports (from other teams, mind you) of sign stealing that was a concern. And given the Clemson trajectory after that report that red flag goes up a little higher. And most of us, in spite of the red flags admitted/stated that the sign stealing may not have made a difference in winning/losing.
I don't know of anyone who has concerns has EVER stated that they want CKD to be a CNS clone. I don't know of anyone who has said that they want CKD and staff to fail. We all want him to succeed.
But we love the Alabama program above any coach (including CNS). And when people have legit concerns (ie lack of any kind of threatening run game, blocking being lackluster at best in most games) we will express our concerns.
We also (to your point) have stated more than once about the decline of the program the last two or three years under CNS. We've made no bones about it.
To another poster's point we also recognize that CKD appears to be receptive to at least making some kind of changes. That's a good thing if it improves offensive line/run game production and is not just a band aid over an open wound.

 

[JustNeedMe81]

This is a guy we need to avoid. Recruiting is still important but its greased with NIL. Players want the bag and development. We need to focus on development.

I would be okay doing away with the TE coach and having a coach for Tackles and TEs and a coach for IOL. The TEs already split drills with WRs and OL.

I would like to see Vlachos hired to coach the IOL and then someone else more experienced coaching OT/TE.

I'm not sure the obsession with former Bama players coming to coach for Alabama.... If we're going by his body of work... Vlachos has done okay. Looking at his resume, He definitely contributed to Miami. He's not quite ready to be coaching OL just yet. He needs a stint somewhere as OL coach and continue to get experiencesa.

 

[BamaInCummingGA]

Exceptional quarterback play kept Saban from getting blown out, unless you’re forgetting the Golding years.

How many blowouts do you think would’ve happened if you replaced Bryce Young with Jalen Milroe? Tyler Buchner? Ty Simpson? Line couldn’t block, defense couldn’t stop anyone, Bryce would keep the scoring pace.

Nobody said anything about Saban, only Golding. (Credit to Crimson Audio for keeping his eye on the HMIC in this case. )

Coulda, shoulda, woulda

 

[JustNeedMe81]

This is a guy we need to avoid. Recruiting is still important but its greased with NIL. Players want the bag and development. We need to focus on development.

I would be okay doing away with the TE coach and having a coach for Tackles and TEs and a coach for IOL. The TEs already split drills with WRs and OL.

I would like to see Vlachos hired to coach the IOL and then someone else more experienced coaching OT/TE.

I had to go back and read this again... You might be right after all. Between what Krazy and you just said... I could see this one from coaching perspective...

 

[KrAzY3]

Don't think Bama needs that.............there are better choices out there

My gut instinct is that I would prefer someone that's had success running the ball in the SEC. I like proven guys and if he's already done it in the SEC he can do it here.

However, I do have to admit to fascination with Klemm's resume. I've never seen anything quite like it, it's like a mixture of Kiffin, Pruitt with a tad bit of Meyer's health issues thrown in.

The issue is that in the spirit of the worst implosions those guys oversaw, things blew up in spectacular fashion.

So, in 2015 you have a guy who won 3 Super Bowl rings, he's been named the Pac-12 recruiter of the year and UCLA averages a very respectable 5.0 per rush (ranked 29th).

We'd all sign up for that this instant right?

The next year, everything blows up in spectacular fashion and UCLA produces a season rushing the ball that was .5 YPC worse than Alabama this year! Literally the worst rushing offense I have seen from anyone whose resume I have ever checked. 2.9 YPC. I understand like everything went wrong at once, but still... that's just bad.

Edit: Shoutout @JustNeedMe81 by the way. He said be patient, at least we're seeing some change. I'd gamble on Klemm before I'd sign up for another year of what the OL was doing.

 

[BamaInCummingGA]

@KrAzY3 I think it's easy to explain some of his absence... there was some rumor that he wasn't healthy and had to deal with a medical condition. That would explain some things.

I do agree that he's someone who can definitely recuit and can develop, but if anything, he has experience...

No offense (and I truly mean that): but Kap had experience, too.
We don't need someone who has experience. We need someone with a proven track record of player development. Someone who can instill discipline, toughness (mental and physical) and develop a mean streak and cohesiveness with the oline.

 

[Evil Crimson Dragon]

My gut instinct is that I would prefer someone that's had success running the ball in the SEC. I like proven guys and if he's already done it in the SEC he can do it here.

However, I do have to admit to fascination with Klemm's resume. I've never seen anything quite like it, it's like a mixture of Kiffin, Pruitt with a tad bit of Meyer's health issues thrown in.

The issue is that in the spirit of the worst implosions those guys oversaw, things blew up in spectacular fashion.

So, in 2015 you have a guy who won 3 Super Bowl rings, he's been named the Pac-12 recruiter of the year and UCLA averages a very respectable 5.0 per rush (ranked 29th).

We'd all sign up for that this instant right?

The next year, everything blows up in spectacular fashion and UCLA produces a season rushing the ball that was .5 YPC worse than Alabama this year! Literally the worst rushing offense I have seen from anyone whose resume I have ever checked. 2.9 YPC. I understand like everything went wrong at once, but still... that's just bad.

Edit: Shoutout @JustNeedMe81 by the way. He said be patient, at least we're seeing some change. I'd gamble on Klemm before I'd sign up for another year of what the OL was doing.

I'd rather take a chance on the guy from Mizzou

 

[Transplanted]

Klemm is probably a better coach than Kap but he has some red flags and I hate guys who are on a new team literally every year of their career (another red flag IMO).

At least Jones, besides being a very good coach has a history of multiple jobs lasting 3-5 year chunks. That is more indicative of talent and less of that underground network Rolodex that keeps getting me a new job every year vibe because of who I know like Klemm.

 

[CB4]

This is a guy we need to avoid. Recruiting is still important but its greased with NIL. Players want the bag and development. We need to focus on development.

I would be okay doing away with the TE coach and having a coach for Tackles and TEs and a coach for IOL. The TEs already split drills with WRs and OL.

I would like to see Vlachos hired to coach the IOL and then someone else more experienced coaching OT/TE.

Just spitballing this but, if you look at Scott Huff at the Rams, he is currently coaching TE’s and was Oline coach with DeBoer at Washington. Bringing him in as Oline coach and add an assistant to work with him would make a lot of sense.
And it makes sense regardless of whether it is Huff or another coach familiar with both TE’s and Oline..

 

[KrAzY3]

Just spitballing this but, if you look at Scott Huff at the Rams, he is currently coaching TE’s and was Oline coach with DeBoer at Washington. Bringing him in as Oline coach and add an assistant to work with him would make a lot of sense.
And it makes regardless of whether it is Huff or another coach familiar with both TE’s and Oline..

When I was trying to figure out a way to keep Kap (theoretically, obviously, not my call), one thing I proposed was moving him to exterior (tackles and TE) while moving Grubb to interior (he's an OL coach but right now doesn't recruit or coach positions).

Obviously with Kap gone that's not going to happen, but it's not out of the question to still split duties in that manner. If they wanted to mitigate the risk with Klemm (he has left two of his past three OL jobs prematurely), they could still split duties in similar fashion.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

When I was trying to figure out a way to keep Kap (theoretically, obviously, not my call), one thing I proposed was moving him to exterior (tackles and TE) while moving Grubb to interior (he's an OL coach but right now doesn't recruit or coach positions).

Obviously with Kap gone that's not going to happen, but it's not out of the question to still split duties in that manner. If they wanted to mitigate the risk with Klemm (he has left two of his past three OL jobs prematurely), they could still split duties in similar fashion.

According to Chris Low, Klemm is our main target.

 

[Evil Crimson Dragon]

According to Chris Low, Klemm is our main target.

The fact that he did leave a couple of jobs prematurely is a good reason not to hire him

 

[TDBama78]

I think one of the biggest things we'll miss with coach Saban is his ability to evaluate players and evaluate and hire coaches ,his network in the coaching world has to be pretty large, with out that I think your options are somewhat limited.

 

[TraskiTideFan]

I would be happy with an OL coach who actually looks like he hits the gym on occasion and can actually push the Sled and not just ride it, wearing out a whistle, and telling everybody they are doing a good job. That might should be in a blue font.