Report: Adam Gase, Bill O'Brien Considered by Nick Saban for Alabama OC Job

Alabama head football coach Nick Saban is reportedly considering both Adam Gase and Bill O'Brien to become his new offensive coordinator next season, according to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic.

Bama's OC position will become vacant following the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Ohio State on Jan. 11, as Steve Sarkisian has accepted the head coaching job at the University of Texas.

Gase was fired by the New York Jets on Monday after two seasons as their head coach, while O'Brien was fired in the midst of his seventh campaign as head coach of the Houston Texans.

The offensive coordinator position at Alabama has been a coveted role in recent years because of the amount of talent Saban recruits on that side of the ball and the fact that those who hold the job tend to go on to even bigger and better things.

Alabama has ranked third or better in scoring offense in each of the past three campaigns, and the Tide haven't lost more than two games in a season since dropping three in 2010.

Aside from Sarkisian, who was Bama's offensive coordinator in 2019, the likes of Brian Daboll, Lane Kiffin and Mike Locksley have held that job in recent years.

Kiffin is now the head coach at Ole Miss, Locksley is the head coach at Maryland and Daboll is the Buffalo Bills' offensive coordinator and one of the hottest head coaching candidates in the NFL.

Both Gase and O'Brien could benefit from taking the OC job at Alabama since it would almost certainly rehabilitate their images and give them another shot at becoming a head coach in the NFL or in the college ranks at some point.

Gase went just 9-23 in two seasons as the Jets' head coach, including a 2-14 mark this season. He was brought in to aid in the development of quarterback Sam Darnold, but that didn't happen.

Instead, the Jets ranked 32nd in total offense in each of his two seasons at the helm and 31st in scoring in 2019 and 32nd in scoring this season.

Gase previously served as head coach of the Miami Dolphins for three seasons from 2016 to '18. He went 23-25 in Miami and led the Dolphins to the playoffs in 2016.

His greatest success came as offensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos from 2013 to '14 when quarterback Peyton Manning enjoyed some of the best production of his career.

O'Brien is a Bill Belichick disciple who served as the New England Patriots' quarterbacks coach, wide receivers coach and offensive coordinator before becoming Penn State's head coach in 2012.

The Nittany Lions went 15-9 in two seasons under O'Brien, and then he made the leap back to the NFL as the head coach of the Texans. O'Brien went just 52-48, but he led the Texans to four AFC South titles and playoff appearances, as well as two postseason wins.

Despite that, Houston never ranked in the top 10 in total offense or scoring offense during his time as head coach.

It is well documented that Saban and Belichick have mutual respect for each other, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Saban pluck someone from the Belichick coaching tree like O'Brien.

While the job is a coveted one, Gase, O'Brien or whoever lands the Alabama OC position could have their work cut out for them in 2021, as quarterback Mac Jones, running back Najee Harris and wide receivers DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle could all leave for the NFL.