Greg McElroy suggests Nick Saban brings old coaches back into Alabama program

With two regular-season losses occurring before the Iron Bowl, the sky may as well be falling in Tuscaloosa. For the first time in a long time, Nick Saban and Alabama have seemingly been eliminated from the national championship hunt early in the season. It’s not something we are used to and fundamental changes could be on the way for the Crimson Tide this offseason.

Former title-winning quarterback Greg McElroy gave his opinion on what needs changing, saying the coaching staff is a problem. He wants Saban to go back to his roots from the beginning of the dynasty and look to welcome back some familiar faces.

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

“I think it would be very beneficial to evaluate your coaching staff,” McElroy said Wednesday on the Paul Finebaum Show. “And then evaluate ‘alright, who are some guys that helped build this thing from the beginning back in 2007’… There’s a handful of other guys who are still out there coaching.”

Greg McElroy suggests return for four former Alabama assistants

McElroy then named specific names he would enjoy making their way back to Tuscaloosa. The biggest name of them all was former defensive coordinator and Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt. Although there is some pause in his standing with the NCAA, McElroy says if the coast is clear, bring him back into Mal Moore Facility.

“Whether it be Bo Davis, who is currently serving as a defensive line coach at Texas,” McElroy began. “Whether it be Jeremy Pruitt. As far as I know, he doesn’t have a show cause, I don’t think he has a show cause — recently the head coach at Tennessee. If he’s available, he would be someone I strongly consider bringing in. I would evaluate maybe looking at Kevin Steele, who is at Miami.”

Long-time running backs coach Burton Burns, who was most recently with the New York Giants, was another name given by McElroy. He had been with Saban since the beginning of 2007, leaving just after the 2017 national championship season.

Current staff doesn’t ‘understand’ old school Alabama

Of the four names McElroy mentioned, 14 national championships were won between them while at Alabama. Continually changing the staff has been a theme for Saban over the years but for the first time, it’s caught up and led to some regular season struggles.

“Not to say that the guys there aren’t doing a good job,” said McElroy. “I just think there aren’t enough guys that understand when Alabama was at its best, 10 years ago, nine years ago, eight years ago, etc.”

Alabama still has three regular-season games remaining, beginning Saturday afternoon in a huge matchup vs. Ole Miss. Most programs in the country would be celebrating this kind of season but for Saban, the bar has been set so high. Some changes will have to be made this offseason.