Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban backed Brian Daboll amid rumors the former New York Giants head coach is being considered as James Frankin’s replacement at Penn State.
Daboll spent one season as Saban’s offensive coordinator at Alabama, during which he held lead the Crimson Tide to the 2017 national championship.
“I love Brian. He did a great job here with us. Offensive coordinator, we won the championship with him calling the plays,” Saban said Wednesday on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show. “He’s been to the Super Bowl several times with [Bill] Belichick, and won.
“I think he was in a tough situation with the Giants, but I do think that 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.”
Daboll worked with the New England Patriots, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills before he took his first NFL head coaching job with the Giants ahead of the 2022 season.
After marking a 20-40-1 record through four seasons, he was fired on Nov. 10 following the Giants’ 2-8 start to the 2025 campaign.
The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman and Ralph D. Russo reported on Nov. 14 that Daboll was “believed to have interest” in and “expected to get some consideration” for the Penn State job.
Feldman and Russo reported at the time that “some former NFL players with strong ties to Penn State have pushed for Daboll to get in the mix.”
It sounds like Daboll has another supporter in Saban amid mounting pressure for Penn State to commit to a coach before any more high-profile recruits decide to follow Franklin to Virginia Tech.
The Nittany Lions already lost Messiah Mickens, a top-15 running back who had been committed to Penn State since August 2023, to the Hokies earlier this week.
