Brian Daboll has a college football ace in his corner.
On Wednesday’s episode of “The Pat McAfee Show,” legendary former coach Nick Saban endorsed his one-time Alabama offensive coordinator and ex-Giants head coach to take over at Penn State.
“I love Brian,” Saban said. “He did a great job here for us as our offensive coordinator. We won the championship with him calling the plays. He’s been in the Super Bowl several times with Bill Belichick and won. He’s a very good coach, he’s a bright guy, he’s a good recruiter, he relates well to the players, he’s a good teacher, he’s got a good offensive mind, he’ll be able to put a good staff together. I think that would be an outstanding hire.”
Nick Saban praises Brian Daboll in favor of the Penn State head coaching job. YouTube @espncfb
Penn State fired James Franklin in the midst of his 12th season after the team lost its third straight game following a 3-0 start to the season.
The Nittany Lions opened the year as preseason No. 2 team in the country and currently sit 13th in the Big Ten at 5-6. They will be looking for someone to quickly make work of their talented roster.
Daboll, fired by the Giants on Nov. 10 after leading the team to a third straight 2-8 start, served as Saban’s playcaller in 2017, in which they combined to win the national championship. Since then, Daboll made a name for himself on he offensive end of the ball in the NFL, working his way up the ranks.
In his early years, he helped develop Bills QB Josh Allen toward his first Pro Bowl nod in 2020, which gave Daboll the bona fides to take the next step with the Giants. His four-year tenure got off to a 7-2 start in 2022 that ended with the Giants’ first playoff win since the 2012 Super Bowl and Daboll being named NFL Coach of the Year.
New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll speaking to the media before practice at the New York Giants training facility in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Things only went down from there and Daboll now finds himself looking for his next coaching gig.
If Daboll were open to taking what would be his first college head coaching job, he would have to be willing to take on the realities he didn’t face in the NFL nor in the college game, like the NIL and the ever-changing transfer portal.