Alabama went to the NFL to find its replacement for Steve Sarkisian.

After reports emerged over the weekend, the school confirmed Monday that it hired New England Patriots tight ends coach Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator.

Alabama was looking for a new offensive coordinator after Sarkisian went to the NFL himself to become the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons. Sarkisian, who served as an offensive analyst for the 2016 season, was Alabama’s offensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide’s national championship loss to Clemson.

The title game was Sarkisian’s only game as OC. He was promoted to the position a week before the game after Lane Kiffin departed full-time for Florida Atlantic. Kiffin originally committed to stay on through the end of the year as Alabama’s offensive coordinator after being named FAU’s coach but left after Alabama’s College Football Playoff semifinal win over Washington.

Daboll worked with Alabama coach Nick Saban as a graduate assistant while Saban was the head coach at Michigan State. He’s coached New England’s tight ends for the past four seasons and hasn’t coached in college since his two years at Michigan State in 1998 and 1999.

“We are certainly happy to add a coach the caliber of Brian Daboll to our staff,” Saban said. “I have known Brian since he worked for us as a GA at Michigan State and he has a fantastic reputation in the coaching profession. He brings a tremendous work ethic to the job and has a wealth of football knowledge. Brian is a great teacher of the game, and someone who can relate well to our players. We are excited to welcome Brian, his wife Beth and their family to Tuscaloosa.”

He last served as an offensive coordinator in 2012 when he held that position for the Kansas City Chiefs for a season after being the Miami Dolphins’ offensive coordinator in 2011. At Alabama, he inherits an offense that returns its starting quarterback (Jalen Hurts), a star running back (Bo Scarbrough) and its leading receiver (Calvin Ridley). It won’t be a shock at all to see Alabama begin the 2017 as the consensus No. 1 team in the country.

“I am honored to have the chance to return to the college game and work for Coach Saban at Alabama,” Daboll said. “He basically gave me my start in coaching as a graduate assistant at Michigan State in the late 1990s and has always been a very important influence on my coaching career. It is a tremendous opportunity to work at an institution such as Alabama with its rich tradition and history of sustained success, and I’m very excited to get started.”

Alabama also confirmed the hire of Joe Pannunzio as special teams coordinator and tight ends coach. Pannunzio spent the past two seasons as director of personnel operations for the Philadelphia Eagles. He previously was the director of football operations at Alabama from 2011-2014 and had stints as an assistant at Miami, Auburn, Ole Miss, TCU and Minnesota, among others. He was the head coach at Murray State from 2000-2005.

“I am very pleased that we were able to bring Joe back to our staff,” Saban said. “He does an excellent job coaching special teams and tight ends, a role I know he truly enjoys. He is a great fit in our organization and I think our players will respond well to his positive attitude and energy. We are excited to welcome Joe and his wife Rita back to The University of Alabama.”

Added Pannunzio: “I am excited to have the chance to return to The University of Alabama and once again work for Coach Saban. I have always loved working with the special teams and tight ends and the chance to do it for the best coach and the best program in college football is a very special opportunity. My family and I love Tuscaloosa, and I can’t wait to get back out on the field coaching.”

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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