We all better hope and pray the talent level Is really, really high to over come the deficiencies of play calling if Golding is still around.
I don't know jack squat, but common sense tells me the more talented and athletic your personnel is, the less a coach needs to rely on scheme and the less thinking there needs to be on the field.
For instance, I remember in 2012 when, if I'm not mistaken, every offensive starter would go on to sign an NFL contract. That season we lined up a lot in a basic formation -- 2 TE, 2 WR, 1 RB -- and just invited defenses to stop us. That natty against ND was a thing of beauty ... letting the play clock every time to go down to 5 sec or less ... alternating between Lacy and Yeldon ... Cooper as a fresh already required double coverage ... a formidable receiving TE in Williams who could block equally well ... an experienced QB in McCarron ... one of our alltime best starting OL in the Saban era (rivaling the Joe Moore award winning 2020 OL), etc.
I think defense needs to follow the same rules. Dumb it down so that you can substitute as many bodies as possible to keep your D fresh all game long and all season long. I suspect that Saban (and coaches generally) unconsciously make their schemes more complex because they fall into a routine of making themselves more necessary than they sometimes are. Think about it, if you're used to being the savior, it becomes difficult to step back and allow others to save the day. Without question, Saban is the most knowledgeable coach in college right now, but if your roster is as talented as our D is top to bottom, the question becomes can he humble himself enough to allow them to go play without excessive input and instruction which inevitably slows them down and limits substitution.
I have a suspicion that our D has been too complex at times for our players to play at their highest ability. If you examine the position recruiting rankings of our D personnel out of high school, the wealth of talent is ridiculous, even at the 3rd and 4th strings. So maybe we should rely more on their instincts and raw athletic ability instead on the genius (or lack thereof) of our coaching.