Paul Finebaum believes Bill O'Brien could potentially be Nick Saban's best OC
With as much success Alabama has enjoyed under Nick Saban, naming the best offensive coordinator college football’s most successful coach has ever worked with is incredibly tough. There are some impressive names in the mix.
Lane Kiffin, Steve Sarkisian, Mike Locksley and Jimbo Fisher (at LSU) all come to mind. But SEC Network host Paul Finebaum believes the best is yet to come.
Speaking on WJOX’s The RoundTable on Monday, Finebaum said he believes newly-hired offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien could be the best Saban has ever had.
“I have a hunch that Bill O’Brien may end up being the best offensive coordinator that Saban has had,” Finebaum said. “I know that’s a mouthful considering everything we all know, but he is at such an interesting point in his career that he knows this is his transition moment. He does a great job here and the world is his oyster. I mean any job. I’m not talking about jobs back east, grab a job just to have one. Bill O’Brien did not need this job.
“I think Nick Saban took a good, long look and said ‘this guy is special.’ He is at such an interesting point in his career. I’m not going to get too wildly speculative here, but let’s be honest. Bill O’Brien is capable of moving into any position in the country, including the place that he currently works.”
O’Brien brings plenty of experience to Tuscaloosa. After serving as Penn State’s head coach for two seasons (2012-13), he took over as the head coach of the NFL’s Houston Texans, where he spent the next seven years.
Prior to those stops, O’Brien has worked at Brown, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Duke and with Bill Belichick on the New England Patriots’ staff. He’s familiar with producing at a high level.
It’ll be interesting to see what Alabama’s offense looks like under O’Brien this fall.