Being busy is probably an understatement for Nick Saban this offseason.
The Alabama head coach has seen quite a bit of staff turnover in the weeks since losing the national title game to Clemson and has moved quickly to fill quite a number of spots around the office.
While most of the on-field roles have found new coaches, Saban filled an important off-the-field role on Thursday by announcing the hiring of Ellis Ponder as the Crimson Tide’s director of football operations.
“The University of Alabama has always been very special to me and I am looking forward to my expanded role,” Ponder said in a statement. “Coach Saban is the best in the nation at running a football program and I truly appreciate the opportunity and his trust in me to serve as the director of football operations.”
The move is an internal one for the pair as Ponder was the associate director of football operations under Justin Dickens, who left the program two weeks ago. Ponder is an Alabama native who has two degrees from the school so it’s safe to say he knows the team and how the program operates under Saban pretty well.