Alabama is in need of a defensive coordinator after Jeremy Pruitt took the head coaching job at Tennessee, and many believe Nick Saban will promote from within the program.
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While radio host Paul Finebaum also believes this will be the case, he recently said there could be another surprising candidate in the mix for the job.
Finebaum appeared on "The Opening Drive" on WJOX in Birmingham, and he said former Auburn head coach Gene Chizik could be considered for the position.
"I wouldn't rule that out," Finebaum said. "I think it's an interesting possibility, from what everyone says. There is mutual respect between the two people, and he does fit that mold of the former head coach — the Lane Kiffin model, the Bobby Williams model — the model that he has used so many times before — Kevin Steele — on his staff."
Chizik was the head coach at Auburn from 2009-2012, and he defeated Saban once in 2010 with Cam Newton. After he was fired by Auburn, Chizik served as the defensive coordinator at North Carolina for two seasons.
Chizik is currently an analyst on the SEC Network, and it's unclear if he would want to get back into coaching. But if Saban did want him as the next defensive coordinator, it would be a hard position for him to decline. The last two defensive coordinators under Saban — Pruitt and Kirby Smart — both landed head coaching jobs in the SEC.
Saban has time to decide who the next defensive coordinator will be since Jeremy Pruitt will stay with the team through the College Football Playoffs.
(h/t Saturday Down South)
