Alabama has officially announced its second coaching hire of the offseason. Monday, the university announced the hiring of former Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone as its next offensive line coach.
Marrone, who served as the head coach of the Jaguars the past four-pluss seasons, will replace Kyle Flood who left to become the offensive coordinator/offensive line coach at Texas. Marrone is the second former NFL coach to join Nick Saban’s staff this offseason. The Tide also brought on Bill O’Brien as its offensive coordinator after Steve Sarkisian left to become the head coach at Texas.
“We are extremely fortunate to be able to add Doug Marrone to our staff,” Saban said in a release. “He knows our new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien well and will do a fantastic job with our offensive line. He has extensive experience as not only an offensive line coach, but also as a head coach at Syracuse and in the NFL with Buffalo and Jacksonville. Doug has an excellent track record for recruiting and developing players. I’m excited about his ability to help our players reach their full potential.”
Marrone worked with the Jaguars from 2015-2020, serving as an interim head coach for two games in 2016 before leading the team as its head coach the past four seasons. He won his first game this past season before losing his last 15 as the Jaguars finished bottom of the league. In total, he coached the Jaguars to a 23-43 record, winning the AFC South in 2017 before advancing to the AFC Championship Game. He earned AFC Coach of the Year recognition from the NFL 101 Awards in 2017.
Before serving as the head coach at Jacksonville, Marrone served as the head coach for the Buffalo Bills from 2013-14, going 15-17 over two seasons. He coached the Bills to a 9-7 mark in 2014, the team’s first winning record since 2004. Marrone also has head-coaching experience at the college level, leading Syracuse to a 25-25 record over four seasons from 2009-12.
“I have always admired the programs Coach Saban has built, and I am excited to have the opportunity to join his staff here at Alabama,” Marrone said in the release. “Coach’s program is the model of consistency, and I am looking forward to helping continue that tradition of success with an exceptional group of players and coaches.”
Marrone also has experience coaching the offensive line at the college level at Tennesse (2001), Georgia (2000), Georgia Tech (1997-99), Northeastern (1994) and Coast Guard (1993). During his time at Georgia Tech, he worked alongside O’Brien who was coaching running backs.
A native of the Bronx, N.Y., Marrone began his coaching career in 1992 at Cortland (N.Y.) State as the school’s tight ends coach. He was a three-year letterman as an offensive lineman at Syracuse before being selected as a sixth-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Raiders in 1986. He went on to play years in the NFL. Marrone and his wife, Helen, have two daughters, Madeline and Annie, and a son, Mack.
While appropriate members of The Board of Trustees have been notified of the proposed terms and conditions of these proposed hires, the financial terms remain subject to the approval by The Board of Trustees.
