Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Ex-UA coach Enos promoted by ’Bama
FAYETTEVILLE — Dan Enos, the former University of Arkansas offensive coordinator, will have the same position at Alabama, according to reports Tuesday by AL.com and Footballscoop.com.
The websites reported Enos — the Crimson Tide’s quarterbacks coach this season — will be promoted by Alabama Coach Nick Saban to offensive coordinator to replace Mike Locksley.
Locksley, who won the Broyles Award in Little Rock on Dec. 4 as the nation’s top assistant coach, has been hired as head coach at Maryland.
Enos will be one of at least three new offensive coordinators in the SEC West next season.
Earlier this week, Auburn Coach Gus Malzahn hired Kenny Dillingham from Memphis as his new offensive coordinator.
Dillingham replaces Chip Lindsey, who left Auburn after two seasons to become offensive coordinator at Kansas for new Jayhawks Coach Les Miles.
Malzahn will go back to calling the plays while Dillingham will coach the quarterbacks.
Ole Miss is looking for a new offensive coordinator after Phil Longo was hired Tuesday by new North Carolina Coach Mack Brown to call plays for the Tar Heels.
Enos, 50, will be Saban’s fifth offensive coordinator — counting Steve Sarkisian for the 2016 national championship game — in a span of four seasons.
Locksley, who will continue as offensive coordinator in No. 1-ranked Alabama’s playoff semifinal game against Oklahoma and in the title game if the Tide beat the Sooners, was promoted in 2018 from an analyst position after Brian Daboll returned to the NFL to take the Buffalo Bills’ offensive coordinator job.
Daboll was hired in 2017 to replace Sarkisian, who left Alabama to become the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive coordinator after being promoted from an analyst position to replace Lane Kiffin — the Tide’s coordinator from 2014-2016 who became Florida Atlantic’s head coach.
After Kiffin was offensive coordinator in Alabama’s victory over Washington in the 2016 CFP semifinal, Saban decided it would be better for Kiffin to concentrate on his new job. Sarkisian called plays against Clemson when the Tigers beat the Tide 35-31 to win the national championship two years ago.
Enos came to Alabama after being Arkansas’ offensive coordinator for three seasons from 2015-2017. Bret Bielema, the Razorbacks’ coach from 2013-2017, hired Enos from Central Michigan, where he was the head coach from 20102014.
Saban actually hired Enos in January from Michigan, where he was on Coach Jim Harbaugh’s staff as receivers coach for three weeks before returning to the SEC.
Enos and Saban were first together at Michigan State in 1987. Saban was the Spartans’ defensive coordinator and Enos was a true freshman who as the scout-team quarterback went against Saban’s defense.
“Dan’s always been a really bright guy and had a great competitive character,” Saban said earlier this season. “I followed him when he was a head coach at Central Michigan, and having to play against him when he was at Arkansas for the last few years, we were always very challenged by the system and the scheme and the things that they did.
“I thought their offense was always really well coached. I guess I’ve always had a high opinion of him, but having to play against someone you develop even a greater respect for how they’re doing what they do.”
Enos coaches Alabama sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who finished second to Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray in the Heisman Trophy voting.
Tagovailoa has completed 199 of 294 passes (67.7 percent) this season for 3,353 yards and 37 touchdowns with 4 interceptions.
When Tagovailoa had to leave the SEC Championship Game because of a left ankle injury, second-team quarterback Jalen Hurts passed for a touchdown and ran for a touchdown to rally Alabama to a 35-28 victory.
Hurts, a junior who started in the 2016 and 2017 seasons, has completed 50 of 67 passes (74.6 percent) for 755 yards and 8 touchdowns with 4 interceptions.
Enos will become the second of Bielema’s offensive coordinators at Arkansas to hold the same position with another SEC team.