Nick Saban has been "in contact" with Butch Jones about joining the Alabama staff as an offensive analyst, according to Matt Zenitz of AL.com.
Jones, of course, is the former Tennessee head coach who has been out of work since being let go in November. Jones went 34-27 in five seasons as the Vols' head coach, including an 0-5 mark against Saban. He was replaced by a former Saban assistant in Jeremy Pruitt.
A hiring of Jones would fit Saban's M.O. in filling out his staff. Saban has brought in a number of former head coaches to work for him, most notably Lane Kiffin, Steve Sarkisian, Mario Cristobal, Mike Locksley, Kevin Steele and Bobby Williams.
The arrangement usually works well for both sides. Alabama gains a seasoned pair of eyes eager to roll up his sleeves and coach again, while the coaches get to perform image rehab while working out of the spotlight. Kiffin and Cristobal used their time on Saban's staff to boomerang back to head coaching positions, Locksley is now Alabama's offensive coordinator, and Sarkisian and Steele are both high-level coordinators elsewhere.
Saban has experienced a near total changeover on his staff, as only one full-time assistant returns to the spot he coached in 2017. The Tide have also seen four offensive analysts leave for other jobs this winter; Dan Werner is now the quarterbacks coach at South Carolina, Chris Weinke followed Pruitt to Tennessee as running backs coach, and William Vlachos and Shea Tierney followed former offensive coordinator Brian Daboll to the Buffalo Bills.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.