Why Nick Saban hiring Dan Mullen might be perfect for Alabama offensive coordinator job | Opinion

When Dan Mullen previewed the national championship game on a podcast earlier this month, he sure sounded like a guy immersed in his role as an ESPN analyst and not a former coach simply passing the time until he received a chance to rejoin the profession.

“It’s a different lifestyle,” Mullen told Ralph Russo on the AP Top 25 College Football podcast. “I haven’t missed many of my kids’ games and enjoying time with the wife. It’s certainly different, way less stressful but keeps you involved in the game, and I’m really enjoying it. I’m having fun.”

Seemed anytime you flipped to ESPN’s college football coverage, Mullen was on screen. He’s good in the role, combining Xs and Os with enough oratory bite that he sounded like a natural analyst rather than a shill for his former coaching colleagues.

Nonetheless, anytime I saw Mullen tweet his weekly list of top-performing players or provide halftime insights, I couldn’t help but think: Why is he doing this?

Why is a coach who led Mississippi State to eight consecutive bowl games a talking head instead of talking into a headset? Why is a coach who helped develop one of the greatest college players ever, Tim Tebow, not working with college quarterbacks? How is a coach who at Florida nearly beat Alabama while armed with Emory Jones not matching wits with Nick Saban or at least contributing his wits to Saban?

The short answer: Recruiting.

Mullen, 50, did not recruit to Florida's standard in 2021, and when combined with a bad season on the heels of three good ones, Mullen’s tenure fell victim to snowballing problems. The firing was justifiable. Florida had lost its momentum under Mullen, both on the field and on the recruiting trail.

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But as I've written in this space before: One school’s fired coach becomes another’s savvy coordinator.

Of course, I don’t need to tell you why I’m writing about Mullen.

Saban needs a new offensive coordinator, according to multiple reports Tuesday. Bill O’Brien is reportedly leaving Alabama after two seasons as Saban's offensive coordinator for the same role with the New England Patriots.

Mullen is qualified for Alabama's position, but ESPN's Chris Low reported Tuesday night that Mullen is focused on his television career and is not a candidate for the Crimson Tide.

Regardless of Mullen's interest level, Saban’s checklist for his next coordinator ought to start here: Who does he trust to develop Alabama’s quarterbacks? Who does he believe will position Alabama’s offense to be a schematic headache for opposing defenses?

Recruiting must factor into any hiring consideration, but I’m thinking the list of coaches who could recruit blue-chip prospects to Alabama is a lot longer than the list of coaches who would develop Jalen Milroe from a talented but unpolished athlete into an All-SEC quarterback.

Oh, I’m not guaranteeing Mullen would do that for either Milroe or redshirt freshman Ty Simpson, but I’m also not doubting the quarterback development abilities of a coach who turned Kyle Trask from backup high school quarterback into the nation’s touchdown leader in 2020 and a second-round NFL Draft pick. Mullen put enough shine on Feleipe Franks to take Florida to a New Year’s Six Bowl in 2018. Franks is now an NFL tight end.

Saban usually knows what he’s doing in hiring offensive coordinators, a list that includes fired coaches Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian becoming successful Alabama coordinators. Mullen fits that mold.

Saban also is known to attract candidates with NFL experience, an area Mullen lacks.

And, anyway, a comfortable ESPN job and more time with family may encourage Mullen to be in no rush to jump at a coordinator gig.

But I know this: Most fired coaches get the itch to return to the game.

I also know this: Whatever the critiques of Mullen, he knows quarterbacks.

And Alabama’s next starting quarterback will need polished.

From Alex Smith to Chris Leak to Tebow to Dak Prescott to Trask, Mullen left a mark on several quarterbacks who thrived at this level.

“There were not very many quarterbacks of note in the history of (Mississippi State) until Dan showed up," Scott Stricklin, who was Mullen’s athletic director at Mississippi State and Florida before firing him, once said of Mullen.

Prescott went from three-star prospect to Dallas Cowboys starter.

Many of Mullen’s quarterbacks could run, too, either around you or through you, and Mullen positioned them to beat defenses in a variety of ways.

I saw enough of Milroe as Alabama’s backup last season to know he can run. I’m less convinced he’ll become an elite passer or match Bryce Young’s composure, but Mullen pulling the levers would give me more confidence in Milroe's chances of becoming a dual-threat problem for opponents.

In Mullen’s first stint at Florida, as Urban Meyer’s offensive coordinator, he was blessed with blue-chip talent to work with, thanks to Meyer’s recruiting machine. Alabama boasts similar riches.

Television may suit Mullen just fine, but I can't stop thinking about what he could do with a play sheet and Alabama's roster.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Dan Mullen as Nick Saban's Alabama offensive coordinator is perfect fit