JessN: Assistant coach hiring tracker...

[JessN]

Yeah there may have been a list of names but I don’t consider that a ‘plan’ myself.

A plan would probably at least be setting a timeline of actions and putting some feelers out to make some contact with those names so that if something goes down the plan can be put into action fairly quickly.

I think we were caught flat footed and just started putting something together after Grubb bounced.

There's two other potential contributing factors here to what's going on ...

1) They may have had a plan from the outset to promote Shephard/Sheridan but after Grubb announced, suddenly Moore expressed interest. Now you could have a choice that you didn't have before: an established OC (Moore) who has working knowledge of both the SEC and DeBoer's systems. If that presented itself only in the last couple of weeks, suddenly your Plan B might become your Plan C.

2) They knew Grubb was a short-timer. I mean, the guy makes one tweet in a month and it's about how much he wished he had gotten the UW job. I have no doubt we had a fallback position to Grubb leaving. However, Grubb took Huff with him. I don't think it's such a certainty that we knew how we would replace Huff so quickly. The Missouri scenario also comes into play here, because even if you promote Shephard/Sheridan, you have to find a new OL coach. If you hire the Missouri duo, you get both. Can you hire the Mizzou OL without hiring the OC? Debatable. There could also have been an agreement in place with Jay Nunez about his status changing if there was a vacancy in the on-field staff, and now there is. Can Nunez coach OL? I don't know. But he could coach TEs if Sheridan became the QB/OC.

Referring back to point No. 1, we could be working through that choice right now. I expect the eventual OC to come from one of these names. Some of the more satellite candidates (G.J. Kinne, etc.), I don't necessarily believe in.

 

[TideFan in AU]

With the portal closed and it being the dead period, the rush to name somebody as quickly as possible is not there. Not hearing something today is not necessarily an indication of the staff being caught off guard or unprepared. There’s no way they didn’t know Grubb was leaving until Friday night. It’s been being talked about for 2 weeks.

 

[UAH]

To make sure I'm understanding this explanation right, Grubb told CKB he didn't want to be in Tuscaloosa aka "that far from the west coast" and CKD "planned for it" by bringing him along, presenting him as our OC and allowing him on the recruiting trail. Did he do this just in case Grubb couldn't find a job and his default move would be the OC at Alabama, a place he didn't want to be?

For the record, we will be completely fine without him, because I know CKD is the brains behind the offense. I'm just baffled at the process, LOL!

He may find that a job for $ 2.5 Mil. or so may be preferable to a job back "home" with an NFL team without a QB. What is the life span of that assignment likely to be?

 

[Jack Bourbon]

Is Tommy Rees still available

 

[JessN]

Is Tommy Rees still available

He's the TE coach for the Browns now. So yes, he's technically available to come back as OC but given that his style of play doesn't mesh all that well with DeBoer's, I don't think you'll see that.

And I realize you might have been joking, but this question is coming up on various boards and I wanted to address it.

 

[some_al_fan]

He's the TE coach for the Browns now. So yes, he's technically available to come back as OC but given that his style of play doesn't mesh all that well with DeBoer's, I don't think you'll see that.

And I realize you might have been joking, but this question is coming up on various boards and I wanted to address it.

Tommy Reese is currently UCLA HC candidate: https://www.on3.com/teams/notre-dam...ommy-rees-named-ucla-head-coaching-candidate/

 

[rolltide7854]

Tommy Reese is currently UCLA HC candidate: https://www.on3.com/teams/notre-dam...ommy-rees-named-ucla-head-coaching-candidate/

UCLA just hired a coach. I think it was DeShawn Foster.

 

[oldtimetider]

I'm thinking there's a lot to consider (for all parties) in a coaching hire at this level. Coach Deboar would likely prefer someone who will commit for a few years, who will implement his system,... and can recruit, etc, etc. An established OC might prefer his own system... or at least the freedom to tweak Deboar's to fit his own... If he's established and looking down the road to be a head coach, does he sacrifice his system for one he's not as comfortable with....
.... a lesser known "up and comer", might be more willing to adopt Deboer's system full stop and build his own reputation around that... I could see where that would be attractive to Deboer... although that hire might give fans and recruits pause...at least early on. Interesting to see how this plays out.... Still thinking that we'll be okay once things settle out. Either way, I hope the OLine coach is outstanding!

 

[some_al_fan]

ON3 is advocating for Missouri duo: https://www.on3.com/news/why-kalen-...-fill-a-pair-of-critical-openings-at-alabama/

Convince Kirby Moore, who was DeBoer’s wide receivers coach at Fresno State and has since become a $1 million coordinator in the SEC, to come to Tuscaloosa and bring Tigers’ OL coach Brandon Jones will him.

Moore did wonders working with Brady Cook in 2023 and could be great for Milroe’s development. Meanwhile, Jones is a 15-year veteran OL coach who has coached in pass-happy offenses for Drinkwitz, Dana Holgorsen, Sonny Dykes, Lincoln Riley and others. Last season, the Tigers averaged 6.5 yards per play and 32.5 points per game. Running behind Jones’ OL, Cody Schrader led the league in rushing (1,627 yards).

 

[Tidelines]

Sounds good to me. We need to hang on to Shepard some way though. I think he will excel at Bama.

 

[westide]

One Missouri fan said this was the most satisfying football season. Kirby Moore did a great job with the offense. I am sure Missouri will do whatever they can to keep him.

 

[BamaInBham]

Where I blame him is if he knew from the get-go that Tuscaloosa wasn't a place where he wanted to be or his family. Then make that clear to CKD from the get-go and don't get invested to the point of being out on our recruiting trail and standing in front of a group of fans saying "I'm your OC". I don't understand circumstances that could have been in place that he couldn't have said from the very start "I don't want to go that far across the country, coach, I'm not going to be able to go with you." It's not like the guy (by doing that) was going to be unemployed longer than a week. 🤷‍♂️

It may be that though he was not enthused about the Alabama job, he was going to take it unless the Seattle job came open. It seems obvious that Seattle was looking seriously at others, they were interviewing them. IMO, the "conspiracy" theory is not certain at all. It's hard to believe that an NFL franchise would agree to those machinations for a college OC, who is considered by many to be a stretch to begin with. They were interviewing viable candidates.

I'm not saying that DeBoer, Grubb or Seattle are above such maneuvering, it is and has been the way of football for a century (Bryant, Saban, et al.), but it doesn't NECESSARILY add up. IMO, Occam's razor is plausible in this case.

 

[BamaInBham]

I don’t think a plan was in place.

It was just a CYA statement to buy time to get a new OC.

If a plan was really in place we’d already have a new OC.

Simply not necessarily true. IMO, a plan was in place but for the most part could not be pursued until they knew that Grubb would be offered the Seattle OC job. Only then could they contact other college OCs and get a commitment. Even the Missouri OC is not likely to agree to the Alabama OC job, even "in principle", until there is an opening.

It could be that Moore did not even know how he would feel about the Alabama job until a real, not contingency, offer was made. He could be mulling it over: Is the likely monetary difference worth the headache; is the talent upgrade worth the expectations; what is his relationship with Drink.. vs DeBoer; on and on. He may need some time, he may be angling for more money from either or both entities; DeBoer may have moved on and is looking at others; DeBoer may be debating with himself about an existing OC vs promoting within the staff; etc.

In summary: just because someone is not already in place does not mean that DeBoer did not have a plan in place. Often, many things can't be known until the first shoe drops. It would be shocking if DeBoer did not have a plan in place - even with having no inside info, I'm sure he did.

 

[BJ4TIDE]

Someone go start a rumor on Twitter and site a “source,” so we will have something to talk about. 😁

 

[Bamabuzzard]

It may be that though he was not enthused about the Alabama job, he was going to take it unless the Seattle job came open. It seems obvious that Seattle was looking seriously at others, they were interviewing them. IMO, the "conspiracy" theory is not certain at all. It's hard to believe that an NFL franchise would agree to those machinations for a college OC, who is considered by many to be a stretch to begin with. They were interviewing viable candidates.

I'm not saying that DeBoer, Grubb or Seattle are above such maneuvering, it is and has been the way of football for a century (Bryant, Saban, et al.), but it doesn't NECESSARILY add up. IMO, Occam's razor is plausible in this case.

I'm not familiar with any conspiracy theory that was circulating. My point is I do not think Grubb had any interest both last year when CNS interviewed him or this year of leaving the pacific northwest, or at least not for the the South Eastern part of the country.

My biggest problem and it isn't personal with Grubb but in the college coaching world and how it's been for umpteen years. But in this day and age of zero restriction transfer portals, and programs can literally lose massive amounts of talent and players in the blink of an eye, coaches doing what Grubb did (which I agree is nothing inherently wrong) can have A LOT MORE negative consequences than back when Bryant coached and Saban as well.

 

[BamaInBham]

I'm not familiar with any conspiracy theory that was circulating. My point is I do not think Grubb had any interest both last year when CNS interviewed him or this year of leaving the pacific northwest, or at least not for the the South Eastern part of the country.

My biggest problem and it isn't personal with Grubb but in the college coaching world and how it's been for umpteen years. But in this day and age of zero restriction transfer portals, and programs can literally lose massive amounts of talent and players in the blink of an eye, coaches doing what Grubb did (which I agree is nothing inherently wrong) can have A LOT MORE negative consequences than back when Bryant coached and Saban as well.

The "conspiracy" I was referencing has been mentioned many times in multiple threads on this board, i.e., that DeBoer and Grubb knew that Grubb had the Seattle job and was simply waiting til the 30 day window shut before announcing it.

The primary point in the post was that even though Grubb was not enthusiastic about taking the Alabama job, that doesn't mean that he was not going to be the OC here, nor that he could not do a fine job here. I think DeBoer knew Grubb's attitude and Byrne made it clear that they both knew his moving on was a real possibility. It's also possible that Grubb thought he was going to be or might be, Alabama's OC for a season at the time he said so while hoping to get the Seattle job. That happens often.

I agree that coaches' moves, even coordinators, can have far greater roster ramifications than in the past because of the portal. Because it's DeBoer's offense, IMO, Grubb's absence will have a minor effect on Alabama's roster. But it will be hard to know because some were likely to leave after the Spring regardless of the OC or how the offense looks. Of course, if the offense looks really bad for some reason, then many could leave but it will be hard to gauge Grubb's effect.

 

[BamaMoon]

I'm not advocating to shut down this debate, but I really don't see why it matters.

If Deboer/Byrne knew Grubb might leave they couldn't offer a job or hire a replacement until it was official. And the fact this happened so conveniently as the Feb. signing day happened and the transfer portal closed probably means it was part of the plan.

FWIW, I have complete trust Deboer understands his system better than anybody and will hire the right fit for the OC and OL openings!

 

[BamaInBham]

I'm not advocating to shut down this debate, but I really don't see why it matters.

If Deboer/Byrne knew Grubb might leave they couldn't offer a job or hire a replacement until it was official. And the fact this happened so conveniently as the Feb. signing day happened and the transfer portal closed probably means it was part of the plan.

FWIW, I have complete trust Deboer understands his system better than anybody and will hire the right fit for the OC and OL openings!

I agree with all you said except that the timing was part of the plan. It certainly could have been but for reasons I laid out earlier, it's very plausible that it was not.

But again, I agree with the gist of your post.

 

[bamaslammer]

With DeBore being the offensive coach he is I believe not much will change in how the offense functions. Losing the OL coach might be more problematic as good OL coaches are hard to find. Still.... All this happening now is better. We really can't move forward until everyone is committed to a purpose and those two clearly had one foot still on the dock. Best of luck to them but we need a staff who wants to make a mark on college football. Nobody in this program is wearing natty rings any more so the only way to get one is to go out there and take it and thats not happening unless everyone is 100% committed to that purpose.

So my main concern is getting a staff by spring practice that is ready to make their mark on college football

 

[Bamabuzzard]

The "conspiracy" I was referencing has been mentioned many times in multiple threads on this board, i.e., that DeBoer and Grubb knew that Grubb had the Seattle job and was simply waiting til the 30 day window shut before announcing it.

The primary point in the post was that even though Grubb was not enthusiastic about taking the Alabama job, that doesn't mean that he was not going to be the OC here, nor that he could not do a fine job here. I think DeBoer knew Grubb's attitude and Byrne made it clear that they both knew his moving on was a real possibility. It's also possible that Grubb thought he was going to be or might be, Alabama's OC for a season at the time he said so while hoping to get the Seattle job. That happens often.

I agree that coaches' moves, even coordinators, can have far greater roster ramifications than in the past because of the portal. Because it's DeBoer's offense, IMO, Grubb's absence will have a minor effect on Alabama's roster. But it will be hard to know because some were likely to leave after the Spring regardless of the OC or how the offense looks. Of course, if the offense looks really bad for some reason, then many could leave but it will be hard to gauge Grubb's effect.

And this is where a lot of opinions on how people felt it "should" have been handled are coming out. Granted, there isn't a right or wrong answer, just preferences and nothing more than a "If I were the HC I would have done this..." type of scenario, which is one of the purposes of online message boards, is to give opinions and then discuss.

Personally, if I'm Deboer and if Grubb "was not enthusiastic" about making the move then he wouldn't have been a part of my plan from the start, period. Granted, that's just me and once again, there isn't a right or wrong answer. But no way I'm bringing a guy on that I know his heart isn't in it from the get-go ad no way he's getting anywhere near a player or parent I'm recruiting. . From my experience, regardless of the situation, just isn't good practice and doesn't end well for anyone.