Saban praised O'Brien's body of work and called him an outstanding coach, and although Saban didn't officially announce O'Brien as Alabama's new offensive coordinator, he said that O'Brien would "do a great job with our players here.".

Saban added, "I've always tried to have the best knowledge and experience I can for our players and their development, and I certainly think [O'Brien] can contribute to that in a very positive way.".

O'Brien, who also served as the Texans' general manager last year, was fired four games into the 2020 season.