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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish appear to be getting poached by the SEC once again. There is a very serious and very likely rumor floating around the internet that Notre Dame's offensive coordinator, Chip Long, will take the same job under Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Keep an eye on Notre Dame OC Chip Long for the Alabama vacancy. He’s from Birmingham and played at North Alabama. #RollTide
— Brandon Kamerman (@B_Kamerman) January 15, 2018
This rumor is running rampant on Alabama message boards with some posters claiming that this is a done deal. How much validity you want to take from these "sources" is up to you, but if you're an Alabama fan right now - you're probably sold on Chip Long moving to Tuscaloosa.
After the Mike Elko departure, and the possibility of both Brian Polian and Clark Lea following him to coach for the Texas A&M Aggies, I made a slight joke about Chip Long's employment:
So nobody came after Chip Long? Is that what you’re telling me?
— One Foot Down (@OneFootDown) January 5, 2018
It's not so funny now.
Alabama's offensive coordinator in 2017 was Brian Daboll. Daboll is leaving the Tide after only one year to become the offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills in the NFL. Before Daboll, it was Lane Kiffin that coordinated the Tide offense.
Regardless of the opinions of some Notre Dame fans, Chip Long is a rising star in the coaching world and is looked at in a very favorable light. After averaging 39 points per game with the Memphis Tigers in 2016, Long ran an offense at Notre Dame that averaged 34 points a game against the nation's second toughest schedule. It also saw a resurgence in the Irish running game that we haven't seen since the 90's.
Not only is Long an attractive option for the Crimson Tide, he has regional ties as well. Long is from Birmingham, Alabama and played football at North Alabama.
It's very easy to create a very big connection to Alabama for Long, but these are still rumors for the moment. Is Long a more attractive hire for Nick Saban - or perhaps Matt Canada would be preferred? While some would state that this is a lateral move for Long - let's get real. Alabama just won a national championship and is on one of the greatest dynastic runs in college football history. This is a step up.
For Notre Dame fans, all we can really do is wait and see what Nick Saban's and Alabama's next move is on this front.
Ugh.