re: Coaching Changes for Alabama(Analysts edition!!!)

Insane... Saban has turned this into a coach factory as well

not sure if Wikipedia is jumping the gun but Marrone is listed as the Alabama offensive line coach, and there is this...

On January 19, 2021, Alabama head coach Nick Saban announced the decision to hire Marrone as the offensive line coach

Anyone can change a wiki page, so you definitely can't go by anything on Wiki. But with that said, I doubt anything is officially announced until Saban has all of the spots filled, and they can be all announced at one time. That is what Saban did last year anyways.

I mean O'Brien still hasn't been officially announce, and yet he is talking to recruits on our behalf and meeting with our QBs. I'm sure word wouldn't have leaked to Chris Low about Marrone unless it was practically a done deal...at least I hope that is the case.

TWatts, 6:45 pm:

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• Been doing some digging today and had a couple good sources tell me that Eddie Gran is a name to watch closely as a possible addition to Saban's staff. No position was mentioned but a quick look at his bio shows a heavy history with RBs and special teams. So from a fit standpoint it would make sense. One of the sources went so far as to say he would be willing to bet Gran ends up at Alabama.

After hearing his name I made some calls and college coaches apparently love the guy and respect him a lot. Current and former Southern coaches in fact had nothing but good things to say. That is usually a good sign. Gran was recently offensive coordinator at Kentucky but has also been at Florida State, Auburn, Tennessee and Ole Miss among others so he's been around the SEC a lot.

• There's a chance we hear something definite tomorrow (or sometime tonight) on Doug Marrone. All signs point to Alabama finalizing a deal with him to come to Alabama. And it could be final and we just don't know it yet. As we noted yesterday Marrone became the top target for Saban for the OL position and it makes a lot of sense especially with O'Brien and Marrone being close since their time together at GA Tech.

• As we've noted a few times Bill O'Brien is on the job already. Not sure if UA plans to announce officially or not. It's possible they do all the hiring at once but we are told he's had an office since last week and we know he's contacting recruits and has met with some of the players, who I'm told have been very impressed so far.

As always we will keep you posted as we hear more.

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Gran is an excellent RB coach and well-liked recruiter with a lot of good ties, including FL. Great replacement for Huff.

Eddie Gran: LINK /

So he can pull 4 stars, and lot of potential for him to pull 5 stars... He'll be a good fit for Alabama.

Obviously Saban knows best and knows how well O'Brien and Marrone can recruit, but how do we feel about their recruiting abilities?

Looks like Marrone is basically a done deal

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We are hearing Doug Marrone is in Tuscaloosa today. Should be in meetings with staff.
Assuming Marrone is officially hired there is no timetable on when/if Saban will make it official. So until then we are following his actions like we did with O’Brien. .

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Yea I'm all in on this one - plus BoB and Marrone have a great history and a synergy, much like Sark and Flood had.

I think the OC/OL coach relationship is pretty important, and I think the last run with Sark/Flood told Saban that as well.

As previously noted, Bill O'Brien and Doug Marrone coached together at Georgia Tech. Marrone was at Tech from 1996 through 2000 LINK
and O'Brien from 1995 through 2002 LINK George O'Leary was head coach from 1994 through 2001 until he was hired away by Notre Dame (discrepancy on his resume killed that contract) Tech enjoyed a good bit of success in the O'Leary era, though success is a relative thing. We're talking about Georgia Tech. The bowl record from 1997 through 2002 was 3&3. The won the conference in 1998 with a 7-1 record, 10-2 overall. I found all that at this link

Wikipedia includes this content...
. O'Leary's second season saw the emergence of Joe Hamilton as starter when Brandon Shaw struggled in his first two starts. Hamilton would eventually lead the Jackets back to bowl contention and Tech attended its first bowl in six years, the 1997 Carquest Bowl.

Hamilton's prowess as a runner and passer thrilled the Georgia Tech fans. Offensive coordinator Ralph Friedgen utilized a complex offense with Hamilton that featured option football mixed in with complex timing routes. Hamilton racked up yardage, touchdowns, and wins for Tech. In 1998, Hamilton and Tech's high powered offense won 10 games and a season ending victory over Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl. Hamilton's senior year put him on the national stage. He was a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy against rushing phenomenon Ron Dayne. Hamilton passed for over 3,000 yards and rushed for over 700 yards.[44] But while Hamilton dazzled, the Georgia Tech defense was a liability (they allowed around 28 points per game), and may have ultimately cost Hamilton the 1999 Heisman Trophy. In a late-season, nationally televised game against Wake Forest, Tech gave up 26 points and Hamilton threw two interceptions and no touchdowns. As an indirect result, Dayne went on to win the Heisman (Joe was runner-up). Hamilton's Georgia Tech career ended on a sour note in the 2000 Gator Bowl against the Miami, where the Jackets lost 28–13.[45] The following season, redshirt junior George Godsey, a more traditional pocket passer, succeeded Hamilton at the helm of Tech's powerful offense. The drop-off was minimal—Godsey continued where Hamilton left off, winning 9 games in 2000 and 8 games in 2001. In 2000, Godsey also led Tech to their third straight victory over the archrival Georgia Bulldogs.[46]

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So apparently Tech had a pretty good offense during their time there, option and then more traditional pro set. In my lifetime Tech has never attracted elite players like UA does so I'm pretty confident they will do well at Alabama.

during those years they were at Tech together the offense apparently improved steadily

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000