Alabama football, already in search of its next defensive coordinator after Ole Miss pried away Pete Golding, will now also have to fill their offensive coordinator post with play-caller Bill O'Brien headed back to the NFL for the same role with the New England Patriots. That means that Nick Saban, tasked with continuing to beef up the Crimson Tide roster before National Signing Day, will have to also focus on finding new assistants for his staff.

The search for Alabama's offensive coordinator figures to be an interesting one, given that Saban's offensive philosophy has changed over the years.

Alabama football has eschewed the traditional style of offense for the newer age, up-tempo and spread-style offenses in recent years.

If that's the route Saban wants to take with the Alabama football offense, there are not shortage of strong candidates for the team's next offensive coordinator.

But who are the best options?

That's what we'll discuss here.

Without further ado, here are the three best candidates for Nick Saban to replace Bill O'Brien as the Alabama football offensive coordinator.

Dark-Horse Alabama Football Target: Kliff Kingsbury

Let's get the dark-horse option out of the way. Former Texas Tech and Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who was fired after an abysmal season in the desert, purchased a one-way ticket to Thailand and reportedly told NFL teams interested in his services as a play-caller that he wasn't interested.

But Kingsbury, who went 28-37-1 as an NFL head coach, might have more interest in a play-calling job if it meant a return to the college game, where his offenses undoubtedly had more success than they ever did in the pros.

While Kingsbury did benefit from the presence of Patrick Mahomes with the Red Raiders, his offenses still ranked inside the top-10 in passing yards per game in each of his six seasons as head coach.

If Saban is looking for a more spread, up-tempo offense, there might be no better candidate to be his Alabama offensive coordinator than Kingsbury.

Would the Alabama football job pique Kingsbury's interest enough to put his Thailand getaway on hold?

Highest-Upside Alabama Football Target: Joe Brady

Joe Brady, former passing game coordinator of the LSU Tigers' historic 2019 offense, spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons as offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers.

In 2022, Brady served as the quarterbacks coach for the Buffalo Bills. His experience with the likes of Joe Burrow and Josh Allen has to appeal to Saban, who will need a shrewd eye to help him evaluate the best replacement for Heisman Trophy-winner Bryce Young.

He's also experienced with the SEC.

Brady once said that his offensive philosophy is to get his speedy playmakers in space and force the defense to defend “every blade of grass.”

That sounds about as modern as an offense is going to get.

Saban gushed about Brady's LSU offense after they delivered a beatdown to the Alabama football defense back in 2019.

How would Saban feel now about the possibility of Brady running his offense?

Whereas Kingsbury is more of a longshot, one can clearly envision Brady returning to the SEC to play with all the new toys Saban brought in in the 2023 recruiting class- as well as the classes to come.

And there's no doubt that Brady could help Saban put together some of the best offenses in Alabama football's program history.

Most Realistic Alabama Target: Jeff Lebby

Jeff Lebby, offensive coordinator for the Oklahoma Sooners, is the only name on this list that has actually been reported as a target for Alabama.

Lebby, who spent two seasons as a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator in the SEC with Ole Miss, helped the Rebels rank eighth in total offense back in 2020.

In 2022, Lebby helped Oklahoma rank first in total offense in the Big 12, while overseeing a strong season from quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

Fast, pedal to the metal and explosive are just a few adjectives to describe Jeff Lebby's offenses.

It's no wonder that he's reportedly a coach Alabama could target as its next offensive coordinator.

Lebby produced some of the best results of his career with added talent at Oklahoma. Give Lebby the 4-star and 5-star talents that routinely walk through the doors at Alabama and the Tide offense could be downright dangerous.

Honorable Mentions:

Jason Garrett – Ex-Dallas Cowboys HC, Ex-New York Giants OC

Greg Roman – ex-Baltimore Ravens OC

Conclusion:

Nick Saban could swing for the fences with the likes of Kingsbury or Brady- or he could throw everyone a curveball and choose a candidate on nobody's radar.

The great mystery of it all will make Alabama's offensive coordinator search worth monitoring.