It took less than two seconds to make the jump after the announcement Steve Sarkisian left Alabama to take the vacant offensive coordinator position with the Atlanta Falcons on Tuesday.
Chip Kelly-to-Alabama, right? How can we make this happen, and how soon? AL.com reported Kelly, who was fired after two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, visited Alabama and Nick Saban the week between the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and College Football Playoff National Championship game on Jan. 9. If the Crimson Tide is willing to pursue this move given the predicament they are in, then Saban has to decide whether Kelly could fit in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
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That's what this comes down to. Of course, this will have to happen when Saban gets back from vacation. The next offensive coordinator will be Saban's sixth at Alabama since 2007. That list includes Major Applewhite, Jim McElwain, Doug Nussmeier, Lane Kiffin and Sarkisian. Mike Locksley, who served as an analyst for Alabama last season, is a possible replacement given that line. FoxSports.com's Bruce Feldman named a few more.
Names I'm told could get consideration for #Alabama OC: Mark Helfrich, Chip Kelly & George Godsey who is tight with OL coach Brent Key.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) February 7, 2017
Kelly is the biggest name on that list. The go-to sentiment here is that Saban made it work with Kiffin, who was offensive coordinator the last three seasons. Under Kiffin, Blake Sims set the single-season passing yards record. Derrick Henry set single-season rushing yards and touchdown records, and Amari Cooper set single-season receiving yards and touchdown records. Saban allowed for the offense to evolve under Kiffin, and the end result was three SEC championships, three College Football Playoff appearances, two championship game appearances and one national championship.
Given the resources and talent — Jalen Hurts and Bo Scarbrough are legit Heisman Trophy candidates for 2017 and the Crimson Tide just recruited the top dual-threat quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa and the No. 1 overall recruit i running back Najee Harris — it's a ready-made setup for success for just about any offensive coordinator. Locksley could work with that talent. It seems like just about anybody could work with that talent.
Kelly, however, isn't just anybody. He's going to be rumored for every major Power 5 vacancy — even at offensive coordinator — until he takes his next job. That happened when Ohio State's offensive coordinator spot popped up before former Indiana coach Kevin Wilson filled the position. Alabama's offensive coordinator just happens to be one of — if not the most — scrutinized assistant coach in college football.
The allure with Kelly can't be ignored. Ducks averaged 40.0 points per game from 2007-08 when he was the offensive coordinator, and that ballooned to 44.7 points per game while he was head coach from 2009-12. Kelly was 46-7 with Oregon as a head coach, but that's been tempered by a 28-35 record as a head coach in the NFL with Philadelphia and San Francisco. Would Kelly be able to accept going from NFL coach to offensive coordinator?
How much would ego get in the way? That's only part of the question. Another one is offensive philosophy. Saban has criticized up-tempo, spread offenses for years, and Kelly endorsed that light-speed offense during his last stint with the Ducks. There are several reasons why Kelly-to-Alabama would not work.
On the other hand, it could be that cutting-edge response after losing 35-31 to Clemson in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. It would certainly be a hell of a response after the way Kiffin was let go after the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Sarkisian was the offensive coordinator for one game.
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You can connect the dots however you like from there. Bill Belichick and Kelly are friends who trade ideas from time to time, so maybe that's what Saban and Kelly were doing on that Jan. 9 visit. Or maybe this was Saban seeing a few steps ahead to monitor Kelly's potential interest if the job came open. This could be another way for Saban to evolve the program.
Here's the other part for Kelly to consider. Saban did make it work with Kiffin, but it didn't exactly work out for Kiffin. He had another unceremonious exit and ended up at Florida Atlantic. If Kelly took this job, then what would the payoff be? Would there be a middle ground Saban and Kelly could reach in that regard in terms of offensive philosophy? Could Kelly take the lessons he learned from the NFL and make an unstoppable college offense? All are intriguing questions for sure, and they took more than two seconds to answer.
Saban likely had a contingency plan and a plan behind that contingency plan for Sarkisian, so it will be interesting to see which way the Crimson Tide goes. If Kelly were brought on board, however, then it would be the new No. 1 storyline heading into the 2017 season. If it's not Kelly, then you'll know why.
It just didn't fit.
