re: Alabama Hires Patriots' TE Brian Daboll as Offensive Coordinator

Maybe Saban didn't know Sark was likely to leave until after Napier took the ASU offer. And since he accepted the job only a week ago, it's doubful he's signed a contract or already made much progress toward a permanent residence move. And maybe Saban talked to Napier about him possibly coming back to replace Sark whenever he moved on. I've seen nothing to make me think Napier is not a possibility.

He may still be a possibility but it doesn't fit logically unless Saban was blindsided by Sark's move. I think that is unlikely.
The Niners agreed to terms with Shanahan 3 weeks ago. They couldn't announce it, but he was locked up. So the Falcons almost certainly knew they needed an OC a couple of weeks ago if not longer. If Quinn knew and Sark knew, out of deference to their former boss, Saban knew. And if that's the case, he wouldn't have let Napier walk. Granted, that's a lot of ifs but I think too many people knew this was coming for Saban not to be one of them.