CECIL HURT: Stability still hard to find

For over a decade now, the University of Alabama football program has been looking for one thing above all others. It’s not a championship trophy, although one of those would be nice. It’s not a cannon-armed quarterback or a powerful running back, although there is certainly room for either on the roster.

Alabama has needed something more fundamental: Stability.

You can enjoy smooth sailing only if the waves aren’t crashing over the bow and threatening to capsize your ship. You can only build a solid foundation if the ground isn’t shaking under your feet. Those conditions have not prevailed since Gene Stallings coached his last game in 1996 — some might argue for an even longer time frame. It doesn’t matter which fault line has caused the tremors, whether you blame it on the NCAA or the vagaries of the various head coaches since then. The bottom line is that things have been unstable and, under those conditions, there has been little chance to build something permanent.

The investment made in hiring Nick Saban was supposed to settle that problem once and for all. It has had that effect in many ways. The 2007 season still had its bumpy moments, but they were generally considered to be “part of the process.” The season was sort of a shakedown cruise, in many areas.

Still, Alabama fans remain sensitive to any signs of instability. That’s only natural when you’ve been all shook up for a decade. Now, what seems to be an extremely high probability that offensive coordinator Major Applewhite will be leaving after just one season in Tuscaloosa has some fans asking if the quivering is ever going to end.

Applewhite interviewed for a job with his alma mater, Texas, on Tuesday. As of Tuesday night, there has been no official word on whether he’s leaving, but the mere fact that he interviewed was revealing enough. The question now is whether a change in offensive coordinators is a sign of more instability, or simply a part of shoring up the foundation at Alabama.

The departure of an assistant coach — even a coordinator — is far from an unusual occurrence in college football these days. Salaries for those positions have skyrocketed in recent years, and there is movement for that reason. (In Applewhite’s case, money does not appear to be the primary consideration.) Head coaching salaries are even higher and some coordinators try to maneuver themselves into the best position to angle for a head coaching vacancy.

Look at it this way. If Applewhite takes the Texas job, then every single school in the SEC Western Division will have at least one new coordinator, either on offense or defense. Some will have new coordinators on both sides. Despite that, some will enjoy success.

Furthermore, even in the unlikely event that Applewhite remains at Alabama, there will probably be changes in the way things are done. Last year, Applewhite was the offensive coordinator and play-caller, but the offensive game plan was more of a committee decision with veteran offensive line coach Joe Pendry having significant input. That process probably wasn’t going to be carried forward into 2008, one way or the other. Saban may well have anticipated that even before the 2007 season began, doing his best to assemble a staff for his first year and then planning to fine-tune things later.

Ultimately, Alabama’s return to stability doesn’t depend on any assistant coach. It depends on Saban. It’s his presence that matters — and it is why some Alabama fans couldn’t help sweating out every vacancy in the college coaching ranks this season, even though Saban never had any intention of leaving. A change in coordinators/quarterback coaches does mean that John Parker Wilson will have to have yet another new mentor for the final year of his college career, but that’s isn’t an insurmountable obstacle. Perhaps he, and the Alabama offense, will improve.

In the meantime, Alabama fans can try to sleep soundly and dream of the year when the cradle finally doesn’t get rocked.