Alabama will have its fourth offensive coordinator in three seasons when the 2018 season opens with the announcement by the Buffalo Bills that the National Football League team has hired Brian Daboll.
The Bills announced the hire of Daboll, who directed UA’s offense last season, as their new offensive coordinator on their Twitter account Sunday. The move is a homecoming, as both Daboll and his wife are from Buffalo.
“You know, Buffalo is a town where there’s really strong core values, albeit a little different weather,” Daboll told The Tuscaloosa News prior to last month’s Sugar Bowl victory over Clemson. “Close-knit community, hard-working, tough, very family-oriented.
“(Tuscaloosa) is like a much warmer Buffalo, if you will. I really like everything about it: the people are fantastic, the weather, just the small community. Obviously it’s a big-time college town, but I met some really good people in the neighborhood, just down to earth.”
Daboll, 42, won a Super Bowl and a collegiate national championship in a span of 11 months. He came to UA from the New England Patriots, where he was tight ends coach.
“We are excited to hire Brian as our offensive coordinator and welcome him back to Western New York,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said in a statement posted on the team’s website. “I know how much this area means to him.
“He’s a good coach and a good teacher and he’s been part of winning programs in the NFL and college.”
In his sole season at Alabama, Daboll guided an offense that ranked 15th nationally in scoring at 37.1 points per game, 13th in rushing offense at 250.64 yards per game, 29th in total offense at 444.1 yards per game and 91st in passing offense at 193.4 yards per game.
Daboll’s annual salary at UA was $1.2 million.
“Brian did a tremendous job for us this past season at Alabama, and I know he will do a great job for the Buffalo Bills,” coach Nick Saban said in a statement. “He is an outstanding coach and coordinator who put us in position to be successful each week. We appreciate all that he did in terms of his time and his dedication in contributing to the success we had this season. We wish Brian, his wife Beth, and their entire family all the best.”
Daboll’s replacement will be the fourth Alabama offensive coordinator since 2016. Lane Kiffin was Alabama’s offensive coordinator for most of three seasons starting in 2014. He was replaced by Steve Sarkisian prior to the 2016 season’s national championship game. Sarkisian was expected to stay in place at UA, but instead accepted an offer from the Atlanta Falcons to serve as offensive coordinator there.
Daboll spent 17 years in the NFL prior to coming to Alabama, including 11 with the Patriots in two different stints. He has won five Super Bowl rings with the organization.
Reach Tommy Deas at tommy.deas@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0224.
