'What's next?' for Alabama includes coaching search, bowl prep

TUSCALOOSA | Now that Mike Shula is gone, so what’s next for the University of Alabama football program?

Alabama has a two-pronged plan of action in the wake of Shula’s firing as head football coach Sunday night. The Crimson Tide will begin searching immediately for a new head coach while also beginning preparations for an expected bowl bid.

Director of Athletics Mal Moore made the call to fire Shula, believing the coach had done his job in taking the program through tough times in the aftermath of NCAA sanctions but would not be able to take Alabama to a higher level.

It is now Moore’s task to find a coach who can deliver Alabama back to the promised land of national championship contention on a regular basis. That means the Tide’s coaching search must land a heavyweight contender, a coach who can capture the imagination of a demanding fan base and back it up by winning at the game’s highest levels.

Moore’s criteria, stated in a press release and reiterated at a press conference Monday, are “a proven head coach with a proven record of achievement who can reach the level of excellence that all of us desire.

“It’s open. It’s a national search.”

Moore said he would not rule out candidates at the National Football League level, but hinted that the search would center on successful college coaches. He indicated that there will not be an immediate solution to the search because prime candidates will be involved in postseason play.

“The majority of them will probably be involved in bowl games, extending their seasons,” he said.

The two most intriguing names that have been circulating have won national championship rings while coaching in the SEC, but both have distanced themselves from the Alabama vacancy in public statements.

Steve Spurrier, the “Ol’ Ball Coach” who took Florida to the 1996 national title, is about to complete his second season at South Carolina. Amid rampant rumors that Alabama had reached a multi-million dollar agreement with Spurrier, he released a statement Monday while recruiting in the state of Florida.

“I have no intention of leaving South Carolina,” Spurrier’s statement said. “It’s always flattering when a South Carolina coach is rumored for these big-time programs. This one will die down in two or three days, too.”

Spurrier’s salary at South Carolina is reportedly about $1.2 million per year.

Another coach who has stirred interest in Alabama circles is Miami Dolphins head coach Nick Saban, who guided LSU to the 2003 national title.

Saban left LSU for Miami, where he won nine games last season after taking over a team that went 4-12 in 2005. The Dolphins are 5-6 this season, but have won four games in a row. Saban’s salary is reportedly $4 million per year.

Saban was asked Monday if he had been contacted about the Alabama vacancy.

“No I haven’t,” he said during a Dolphins news conference. “I don’t care to be. I have a job to do here. … It’s always flattering to be considered for anything. … I had a good college job, so why would I have left that if I would be interested in another college job?

“I took this as a challenge. We certainly haven’t seen this through and gotten where we want to go and finish the job here, so why would I be interested in something else?”

Spurrier and Saban aren’t alone in having their names linked to the Alabama vacancy.

West Virginia’s Rich Rodriguez, Louisville’s Bobby Petrino and Navy’s Paul Johnson have produced the kind of results Moore is looking for with three completely different versions of wide-open offenses.

West Virginia is ranked No. 15 with a 9-2 record going into Saturday’s game against 13th-ranked Rutgers. The Mountaineers have played in three straight New Year’s Day bowls under Rodriguez, who is 48-24 at his alma mater. His high-powered rushing attack ranks second nationally in rushing offense at more than 312 yards per game and has produced 42 rushing touchdowns. West Virginia is third in the nation in total offense.

Rodriguez addressed the Alabama situation Monday on the Big East weekly teleconference.

“No I haven’t been contacted by anybody,” he said. “Again, I’ve said before I’m very happy at West Virginia and my whole focus right now is trying to win this last ballgame and then get ready for the bowl game.”

Rodriguez signed an extension through 2012 in June, which included a salary increase to $1 million per year.

Petrino has turned sixth-ranked Louisville into a national contender over the past three seasons, going 30-6 with a high-powered passing attack that has his team ranked second in total offense at more than 468 yards per game.

Johnson took over one of the nation’s toughest jobs four years ago and has gone 34-14 over the past three seasons with his option offense. The Midshipmen are 8-3 going into Saturday’s game against Army and rank No. 1 in the nation in rushing offense at nearly 334 yards per game.

Another candidate of note is Jim Grobe, who has taken Wake Forest to a 10-2 record and No. 16 national ranking in his sixth season.

While Alabama’s athletic administration is occupied with its coaching hunt, defensive coordinator Joe Kines has been named interim head coach and charged with preparing the team for a hoped-for bowl bid. The Tide is eligible for postseason play with a 6-6 record and is considered a likely candidate for the Independence Bowl on Dec. 28 in Shreveport, La., or possibly the Liberty Bowl in Memphis on Dec. 29.

Kines pledged to put the players first while holding down the UA football fort. He has prior interim head coaching experience at Arkansas in 1992.

“From my perspective the way we’re going to approach this now is completely focused on the student-athlete,” Kines said.

Kines said he plans to make sure players are prepared for upcoming exams and also get them in the weight room. Alabama is expected to resume practice Saturday.

“The only thing we know to do with this team right now is to put them to work,” he said. “We’re hoping and praying we get to go to a bowl game. This bunch wants to go.”

Kines did not say whether all of Shula’s assistants will stay on board during the transition and bowl preparation, but said the coaching staff will do everything it can to get the team ready if the Tide lands a bowl bid.

“That focus is not going to change,” he said. “We’re going to work 16 to 17 hours a day just like we always do.”

Alabama will uphold all scholarship offers to recruits who have committed, and letters confirming the offers will be mailed. Kines said two coaches were on the road visiting recruits Monday and that the staff would continue to contact prospects.

Kines said he expects Alabama’s players to weather the transition.

“There’s probably every emotion known to man running through their entire being,” he said. “But one thing about young people is they are resilient.”

Reach Tommy Deas at tommy.deas@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0224.

Sports writer Christopher Walsh contributed to this story.