Nick Saban said Tuesday at the Senior Bowl that Lane Kiffin was committed to Alabama at the moment and that he was hopeful the relationship would continue.
However, according to Al.com, he couldn't say with certaintity that his offensive coordinator would return for 2015.
Kiffin has been mentioned as a candidate in NFL offensive coordinator circles, most notably for the San Francisco 49ers' opening. Many jobs have been filled over the past few days, but the 49ers are still looking for an offensive coordinator.
Saban said Kiffin was currently recruiting for Alabama.
"I can't say that right now because I know Lane is committed to us right now and he's doing the best he can to help recruit and do the things we need to do to have a better team next year," Saban said via Al.com. "We're hopeful that will continue."
Before the Sugar Bowl, Kiffin said he was staying at Alabama in 2015.
Kiffin joined Alabama before the 2014 season after he infamously parted ways with USC during the 2013 season. His hire at Alabama was met with jokes, though Blake Sims threw for almost 3,500 yards and 28 touchdowns. (Yes, Kiffin's playcalling at times could be criticized, but can't you say the same exact thing for every offensive coordinator?)
While we see how the NFL would be tempting for Kiffin, moving to the NFL wouldn't exactly help his vagabond image. He coached the Oakland Raiders for 20 games and then was at Tennessee for a season before he went to USC, where he coached for three-plus seasons.
And while the 49ers are committed to a very secretive organizational process, Kiffin only meets with media members a handful of times a year at Alabama. And with Jacob Coker set to play QB for the Tide in 2015, another good year for Alabama's offense (sans Amari Cooper) would do wonders for Kiffin's stock in 2016.
For more Alabama news, visit TideSports.com.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
