It was thought that, with Mike Locksley leaving to take over at Maryland, Dan Enos would move up and take over as Alabama’s offensive coordinator. Instead, the Crimson Tide assistant will be moving on.
Speculation over the past couple of days had Enos leaving Tuscaloosa and taking over as the coordinator at either Georgia or Miami. Friday, The U confirmed they had won that coaching tug of war as the Hurricanes officially announced Enos as Manny Diaz‘s first coordinator.
“Dan was my primary target for our offensive coordinator position from the outset and I’m thrilled that he’s now a Miami Hurricane,” Diaz said in a statement. “Dan is one of the most innovative play-callers in college football and he not only has a remarkable track record of coaching quarterbacks, but also developing players for the NFL at numerous positions. His experience as a head coach will also provide invaluable insight to our entire program.”
Enos, who was a candidate for the Kansas job that ultimately went to Les Miles, was the head coach at Central Michigan for five seasons (2010-14). After posting a 26-36 record with the Chippewas, which included a 7-6 mark in 2015, Enos abruptly left the MAC school to take the offensive coordinator job at Arkansas in January of 2015. With Bret Bielema fired shortly after the end of the 2017 season, the 50-year-old Enos took a job on Jim Harbaugh‘s coaching staff in early January of last year… only to leave less than three weeks later for Alabama.
The 2018 season was Enos’ first, and ultimately last, with the Crimson Tide.
Enos’ move could also be big on the player personnel front for Diaz and the ‘Canes. Despite being with the Tide for less than one full year, Enos had become very close to Jalen Hurts, the one-time starting quarterback who is now looking into a transfer. With Enos in Miami, the Hurricanes immediately become the front-runners in the Hurts sweepstakes.
As for Nick Saban, he has four holes to fill on his coaching staff, with all of those coming on the offensive side of the ball. In addition to Enos and Locksley, wide receivers coach Josh Gattis left Thursday to take over as the offensive coordinator at Michigan while offensive line coach Brent Key left the same day for Georgia Tech.