After three seasons under the direction of Lane Kiffin and one with Brian Daboll, Alabama's offense is being guided this year by coordinator Mike Locksley and associate head coach Dan Enos.
Each has head-coaching experience, with Locksley having headed New Mexico's program from 2009 to 2011 and Enos having led Central Michigan from 2010 to 2014.
"Mike and Dan get along really well, and they've both been successful coordinators in the past," Alabama head coach Nick Saban said in a news conference after last Saturday's second scrimmage. "I think they both have a lot of respect for each other, and I think it's worked out fine."
Enos took over the CMU reins nearly a decade ago from Butch Jones, who would go on to coach Cincinnati (2010-12) and Tennessee (2013-17) and is now in his first year as an analyst with the Crimson Tide.
Alabama held its 13th spring practice Tuesday afternoon, working out for two hours in full pads. The Tide will practice again Thursday before wrapping up Saban's 12th spring with Saturday afternoon's A-Day game inside Bryant-Denny Stadium, which will be televised by ESPN at 2 EDT.
There has been an increase in coaching titles in recent seasons, whether it's "co-coordinator" or "associate head coach" or "passing-game coordinator." Saban promoted Locksley, an offensive analyst with the Tide in 2016 and the receivers coach last season, to offensive coordinator and added Enos to oversee a quarterback position headed by junior Jalen Hurts, who has a 26-2 record as the starter, and sophomore Tua Tagovailoa, who replaced Hurts and rallied the Tide from a 13-0 halftime deficit to a 26-23 overtime victory over Georgia in January's national championship game in Atlanta.
Enos spent the past three years as offensive coordinator at Arkansas, which was one of just two Bowl Subdivision programs to have a 3,000-yard passer and a 1,300-yard rusher in both the 2015 (Brandon Allen and Alex Collins) and 2016 (Austin Allen and Rawleigh Williams III) seasons.
"I think it's worked out great," Saban said. "I think the quarterbacks are getting a lot more immediate attention and self-gratification. When somebody makes a mistake or makes a really good play, to get immediate feedback is probably the best way to learn. With the advent of up-tempo offenses, players don't get coached as much between plays, because they have to get lined up for the next play and get their signals, so they don't get that feedback immediately.
"When the offensive coordinator is over on the sideline running practice and holding up signs and calling plays, he's not even in position to give the quarterback feedback. I thought it would be good, when we added a 10th coach, to do like you do in the NFL, where there is a quarterback coach who can give the quarterback feedback."
Locksley was the offensive coordinator at Illinois from 2005 to 2008, helping elevate the Fighting Illini from 72nd in total offense during his first season to 19th in his last. The 2007 Illini played in the Rose Bowl.
Following his stint at New Mexico, where he was fired after going just 2-26, Locksley was Maryland's offensive coordinator from 2012 to 2015 and was interim coach of the Terrapins for the final six games of the 2015 season.
Alabama has won five national championships under Saban with four different offensive coordinators. Jim McElwain called the plays for the 2009 and 2011 Tide before becoming head coach at Colorado State, and Doug Nussmeier (2012), Kiffin (2015) and Daboll (2017) were the coordinators in the more recent championship seasons.
Lee commits to Tide
Alabama picked up a commitment Tuesday night from Shane Lee, the nation's No. 3 inside linebacker and No. 61 overall prospect, according to 247Sports.com. The 6-foot, 240-pounder from St. Frances Academy in Baltimore chose the Crimson Tide over scholarship offers from Clemson, Ohio State, Penn State, LSU, Florida State and Michigan.
The Tide have eight commitments for 2019, with their early crop ranked No. 4 nationally by 247Sports.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.