re: Official Alabama assistant coaching search thread: staff complete Edition

I'd bet Golding gets Mobile. He seems like an elite recruiter that connects well with young guys.

The I read on Gattis the more excited I get, this is a huge hire.

There are a lot of people saying that Dunbar will be leaving after NSD.

quote:

---

There are a lot of people saying that Dunbar will be leaving after NSD.

---

That may very well happen. But I want him back.

Word from some close to the program is that Dunbar will take an NFL job after NSD. Bottom line, he's not a good recruiter and in the CFB, that's half the deal.

I think we will add 2 more coaches, and I'd bet they're both elite recruiters. This may end up being Saban's most elite recruiting staff. Let's hope they can coach too.

With the young new guys coming aboard and naming Locksley, whom the players wanted, and who also is a good recruiter and OC . He is supposedly responsible for Tua’s fast development. CNS is putting to bed the ugly rumor that the Kirby Smart’s and other young HC’s are-spreading on the recruiting trail, that he is about to retire!
And you have to admit our staff is, well old.

Scott, Banks and Golding are young and are some of the better recruiters right now.

Still believe Dunbar is going to the pros and Key might also. Hate to see it but Burns might retire .
Key recruits South Fla. So is CS pleased with our recent results there??????
I believe we may see a real surprise named to Recruit Georgia.... maybe a Tracey Rocker or even a Rodney Garner type person.

Still interested in the DC and believe he will be named before This weekend.

Yes, sorry for the stupid autocorrect on my phone

quote:

---

Still believe Dunbar is going to the pros and Key might also.

---

Key is not going anywhere. Why do people continue to bring this up?

Why Mike Locksley is ready to be Nick Saban's next OC at Alabama

quote:

---

It was a meaningless game --  more a spectacle than anything else.

Nick Saban wasn't even coaching. He spent most of the afternoon observing in his blue suit.

But not far from where he stood, Mike Locksley was laser-focused. Coordinating the offense for the White team in the A-Day spring game, the receivers coach was treating this exhibition as an audition.

Throughout the glorified scrimmage, he maintained an ongoing dialogue with the quarterback he was directing, Tua Tagovailoa.

At one point, Locksley pulled the Hawaiian phenom aside and told him to look for the tight ends.

 "They're wide open," Locksley said. "It's an easy throw."

Nine months later, the one-off partnership Locskley and Tagovailoa formed that day in the spring has the chance to become more permanent.

Locksley is now the team's offensive coordinator after Saban picked him to succeed Brian Daboll on Friday, according to multiple reports. 

Meanwhile, Tagovailoa appears to have his best shot yet to become Alabama's full-time starting quarterback after he relieved Jalen Hurts in the national championship game against Georgia and guided the Crimson Tide to a comeback victory in overtime. 

Following that thrilling win, Locksley gave the impression he was not merely a position coach, but an assistant more deeply involved in the entire offense.

Commenting on the performance of Tagovailoa and the freshman receivers, Locksley said, "Tua practiced quite a bit. Our twos get 40 percent of the work during the week, and he practices with those guys and we've been moving them in and out in the second half with Jalen and Tua splitting reps in practice. We aren't surprised."

That Locksley would have some measure of ownership over the offensive operation isn't all that shocking either.

In the past, he has been in positions of power.

Locksley was once a head coach at the FBS level -- working three years in that capacity at New Mexico.  He has also masterminded some versatile attacks in the college ranks, where he has developed a reputation to adapt to his personnel.

At Illinois during the aughts, when he was a coordinator, the Illini led the Big Ten in rushing one year and then topped the league in passing the following season.

Having presided over running backs, receivers, tight ends and quarterbacks during various stops, Locksley understands the value of organizing a balanced offense.

Perhaps even more important than that is his grasp of Saban's methodology and the Alabama head coach's belief that play-calling not only affects his side of the ball but also has a direct impact on Alabama's performance on the other. 

Locksley began to be indoctrinated into Saban's "Process" in 2016, when he was hired as an analyst following a six-game stint as Maryland's interim head coach. 

In his statement last year announcing Locksley's promotion to an on-field role, Saban said, "His time...with us over the past season should ensure a smooth transition and a full understanding of how our organization operates."

Now, Locksley can apply everything he's learned and advance Alabama's mission on offense.

If his approach last spring to a game of little consequence is any indication, it's a job he won't take lightly.

---