| 11 January 2011
Several media outlets are reporting that Alabama Assistant Head Coach for Offense and Offensive Line Coach Joe Pendry has informed Nick Saban that he intends to retire. It also looks like Coach Saban may already have someone in place to step into Pendry's role as offensive line coach.
Jeff Stoutland, currently the offensive line coach at Miami was apparently in Tuscaloosa today interviewing with Coach Saban. It is very doubtful that he would be brought to town unless the intention was to hire him. Stoutland coached at Michigan State under current Tide assistant Bobby Williams prior to his stint with the Hurricanes.
Ironically, Williams could be headed out of Tuscaloosa as Stoutland is headed in. Media outlets in the Dallas area have indicated that Williams met with the Dallas Cowboys today about a position on their coaching staff.
The speed with which Chris Rumph was recently hired to replace Bo Davis, and the fact that Stoutland was in town before the announcement of Pendry's retirement, indicates that neither of these moves came as a shock to Coach Saban. Like Rumph, Stoutland is considered to be both a great teacher and a great recruiter. While Pendry did not recruit off campus for the Tide, he was a integral part of the on campus recruiting, and his NFL experience was the clinching factor for several offensive line commitments during his tenure.
Pendry and his wife moved into a new home in Tuscaloosa this past year and it is expected that he will remain involved with Alabama athletics in some role, like as an advisor.
We'll have more as the Tide's 2011 coaching staff takes shape.
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