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Alabama football has former NFL head coaches Bill O'Brien, Doug Marrone on two-year deals
The Tuscaloosa News learned through an open records request that Bill O'Brien and Doug Marrone's first contracts with Alabama go through the 2022 season.
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Bill O’Brien and offensive line coach Doug Marrone have two-year deals for their new positions, The Tuscaloosa News has learned through an open records request.
The memorandum of understanding signed by O’Brien states he will make a base salary of $1.1 million for both the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Marrone's MOU lists his annual base salary at $755,000 for the 2021 season and $900,000 for 2022.
Neither will sign a contract until their hiring is approved by UA's Board of Trustees.
Both have buyout clauses that require payment of 75% of remaining salary if they leave for a SEC school and 50% if they leave for any other university or a professional football job. No payment is required if O’Brien leaves for a head-coaching job or if Marrone leaves for either a head-coaching job or coordinator position.
O’Brien and Marrone are both eligible for postseason bonuses, including 4% of base salary ($44,000 for O’Brien in 2021 and 2022; $30,200 for Marrone in 2021 and $36,000 in 2022) for an appearance in the SEC Championship Game. Further postseason appearances and success could result in bonuses between 8% and 18% of base salary, the latter being a win in the College Football Playoff national championship game.
For O’Brien, the national championship bonus would be $198,000; for Marrone, it would be $135,900 in 2021 and $162,000 in 2022.
Since announcing the hires of O’Brien and Marrone, UA has also replaced outgoing running backs coach Charles Huff (now the head coach at Marshall) with Robert Gillespie and replaced tight ends coach/special teams coordinator Jeff Banks (now at Texas) with Jay Graham . The contract details for Gillespie and Graham have yet to be released.
Also, cornerbacks coach Karl Scott is reportedly leaving UA to join the Vikings, and reportedly being replaced by Jay Valai . It is the third job Valai has accepted since the end of the 2020 season. He was on the Texas staff in 2019 and was announced as Houston’s cornerback coach on Jan. 20; the Philadelphia Eagles confirmed his addition to their staff in early February, just for Valai to take the UA job days later. Valai’s move has been not confirmed by UA.
