Brian Daboll spent the past three seasons as an assistant on the New England Patriots staff.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban announced the hiring of Brian Daboll on Monday as the Crimson Tide's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
"We are certainly happy to add a coach the caliber of Brian Daboll to our staff," Saban said. "I have known Brian since he worked for us as a [graduate assistant] at Michigan State and he has a fantastic reputation in the coaching profession. He brings a tremendous work ethic to the job and has a wealth of football knowledge. Brian is a great teacher of the game, and someone who can relate well to our players. We are excited to welcome Brian, his wife Beth and their family to Tuscaloosa."
Daboll comes to Tuscaloosa after spending 17 years in the NFL and the past three seasons with the New England Patriots, fresh off of a Super Bowl victory. He coached tight ends for two seasons and offensive line for one in his second stint with the Patriots. He spent a total of 10 seasons in New England and helped the team to five Super Bowl titles (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX and LI)."I am honored to have the chance to return to the college game and work for Coach Saban at Alabama," Daboll said. "He basically gave me my start in coaching as a graduate assistant at Michigan State in the late 1990s and has always been a very important influence on my coaching career. It is a tremendous opportunity to work at an institution such as Alabama with its rich tradition and history of sustained success, and I'm very excited to get started."
Daboll coached Rob Gronkowski to unanimous Associated Press first team All-Pro honors following the 2015 season and tutored Martellus Bennett (55 receptions, 701 yards, seven touchdowns) and Gronkowski (25 receptions, 540 yards, three touchdowns) in 2016. He returned to the Patriots for the 2014 season after serving as the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2012.
The Crimson Tide has officially hired Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach https://t.co/aHltWrkqTK #RollTide pic.twitter.com/utEt0uhj70
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) February 20, 2017
Daboll joined Kansas City after spending the 2011 season as the offensive coordinator with the Miami Dolphins. During his season with the Dolphins, Miami produced a 1,000-yard rusher and a 1,000-yard receiver for the first time in franchise history.
He served as Cleveland's offensive coordinator during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. The Browns offense saw dramatic improvement in the second half of the 2009 season, scoring 11.1 more points per game, preforming 20.8 percent better in the red zone and averaging 1.9 fewer turnovers per game during that span.
Daboll coached quarterbacks during his two seasons (2007-08) with the New York Jets, helping Brett Favre pick up the Jets offense after coming out of retirement. In his one season under Daboll, Favre captured a Pro Bowl berth for the AFC squad and had the second-highest completion percentage of his career (65.7).
Prior to entering the NFL ranks, Daboll spent one year (1997) as a volunteer assistant at the College of William & Mary before serving two seasons (1998-99) as a graduate assistant for Saban at Michigan State.
A 1997 graduate of the University of Rochester, Daboll was a two-year starter for the YellowJackets at safety. He and his wife Beth have five children, Marky, Christian, Aiden, Haven and Avery.
All such employment contracts are subject to approval by The University of Alabama Board of Trustees.
