A few years back, the trend seemed to favor offensive coordinators when head coaching jobs were being filled. A classic example of that tendency was that of a man who resided on the other side of the line of scrimmage—Brian VanGorder who was Mark Richt’s first defensive coordinator when Richt became the Bulldogs’ head coach.
At one time, VanGorder had an off-the-chart reputation as a defensive coordinator. I recall Pat Dye saying that the Auburn offensive coaches felt that whatever scheme they came with, VanGorder seemed to counter with finger-snapping adroitness.
Then along came Nick Saban who built his reputation with a “recruiting first” approach, but ever mindful of finding a way to score often while maintaining dominance on defense.