Saturday Down South: Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports, John Talty of AL.com and Brandon Marcello of 247Sports each mentioned Oregon’s Mario Cristobal, a former Alabama assistant, along with Liberty’s Hugh Freeze, who is familiar with the SEC West from his time at Ole Miss, and Louisiana’s Billy Napier. Freeze and Napier were also mentioned prominently for the South Carolina opening, including Napier reportedly being interviewed, before the Gamecocks hired Oklahoma assistant Shane Beamer.
Before Oregon, Cristobal spent four seasons (2013-16) at Alabama as the assistant head coach, offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator under coach Nick Saban, as he was on the staff when the Crimson Tide went to the to the CFP National Championship in 2015, as well as a runner-up finish the next season.
Saturday Down South
- Yahoo Top 10: Oregon’s gutsy win over Ohio State puts the Ducks at No. 1 - October 13, 2024
- Referee hospitalized after ‘difficulty breathing’ in Boise State-Hawaii game - October 12, 2024
- Lincoln Riley’s step forward not good enough to overcome USC’s core problem - October 12, 2024