Crimson Tide hires Tommy Rees, Kevin Steele: What impact will they have next season?

The Alabama Crimson Tide will have new coordinators next season after parting ways with both Pete Golding and Bill O’Brien.

Former Notre Dame OC Tommy Rees and Kevin Steele, who will return to Tuscaloosa for the third time under head coach Nick Saban, will take control. How will they impact Alabama in 2023?

It looks like Alabama under Rees will turn their attention to past offensive tendencies on the ground. The run game won’t be the entire offense but running back Jase McClellan will certainly have more touches than Alabama’s 82^nd rank in rush attempts last year.

Rees does a great job creating space for his backfield within the offensive line. At Notre Dame, Rees provided an 87% power success rate from 2020-2022. This metric shows how efficiently the offensive line creates space in the trenches for running backs. With a more talented offensive line to work with, Rees can show his ceiling.

I think with the hire of Tommy Rees, coach Saban is making it loud and clear he wants his Bama teams to return to the ground and pound offense that won him so many National Championships.

And if Milroe is the starter I think you have a chance to have a very explosive offense. pic.twitter.com/CW66GtP1UQ
— CFBLIVE247 (@CFBLive247_) February 3, 2023

The 82^nd rank in rush attempts last season might come as a surprise to Alabama fans with former running back Jahmyr Gibbs being the focal point.

Diversity in offense in the right situation is also a strength of Rees’s. One reason O’Brien was pushed out was due to the lack of air yards for receivers. Communication between quarterback Bryce Young and his receivers was inconsistent throughout the year.

Notre Dame backup quarterback Drew Pyne had a better completion percentage than Young on passes of 15 or more air yards, according to CBS Sports.

This is significant because Pyne had far less weapons to work with, and Rees still found a way for receivers to be active with a backup quarterback in. Rees needs to take advantage of skilled receivers on Alabama’s roster who can flip the switch in one play.

Explosive plays from Alabama were exceedingly absent this year. Former Alabama players like Jameson Williams and Jerry Jeudy are hard to find, but relievers like Ja’Corey Brooks or Jermaine Burton can reach that ceiling if utilized correctly.

As for Steele, despite unpopular opinions among Alabama fans, his experience with the program can take the defense far. Steele led Alabama to multiple SEC titles, and in three seasons with the team he led the Crimson Tide to at least top 12 rankings among defenses.

For everyone questioning the Kevin Steele hire, please refer to the 2014 LB depth chart while he was the coach of them.

We will be just fine. pic.twitter.com/Kmt4blVZmm
— Adam Weil (@AdamWeil22) February 6, 2023

That’s all to say this: Saban had to land a coach like Steele to solidify the defense and keep things intact. There are more question marks on the offensive side of the ball and the defense needs to establish consistency under a great motivator like Steele.

The argument of Steele’s view on the game being stale is inconsistent with what he’s done in the past. At the end of the day, Saban is the one who calls the shots behind closed doors. When Alabama lost multiple games this season, the blame was ultimately put on Saban, not Golding or O’Brien.

Rees and Steele might not be the most attractive tandem, or was it plan A for Saban. However, Saban knows what he’s doing. He’s the greatest coach of all time for a reason, so Alabama fans should do nothing but trust him.

Sam Thornton - sthornton@dlsports.company