FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Alabama coach Nick Saban has not made a decision about who will replace departing offensive coordinator Mike Locksley, he said on Thursday.
“I’m going to think about that when this game is over or when we get finished with our season,” he said. “We have a lot on our plate right now getting ready for probably the best offensive team that we’ve seen for a long time. So we’re focusing on that right now.”
Multiple reports have indicated quarterbacks coach Dan Enos is expected to be elevated to the role. Enos joined the staff this year and tutored Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts as the Alabama offense set several records.
“We’ve had no real conversations about that,” Enos said. “We’re just focused on this game.”
Suspended players out for season
Alabama’s three players who did not travel to Miami for a violation of team rules will not return if the Crimson Tide advances to the national championship, Saban said on Thursday.
Starting left guard Deonte Brown, along with backup offensive tackle Elliot Baker and reserve tight end Kedrick James, were all suspended. Senior Lester Cotton has been practicing with the first team offensive line in Brown’s place.
There’s been no announcement on what team rules were violated or a timeline for when those players might return. Baker is a senior, though he didn’t play during the 2017 season.
If the players failed an NCAA drug test, bylaw 18.4.1.4 states that players who test positive for banned substances will “be charged with the loss of one season of competition in all sports.” Players who test positive for illicit drugs “shall be charged with the loss of competition during 50 percent of a season in all sports.”
Reach Ben Jones at ben@tidesports.com or 205-722-0196.
