So I know several people who work in our UAA. As you know, a good portion of our football staff comes from the Alabama program (not just on-the-field coaches, but I'm talking about back office staff, too). McElwain's son, for instance, continues to work in Alabama's recruiting offices to this day. There's lots of crossover between our two programs right now.
Anyhow, I was chatting with one of my UAA friends last year after the SECCG and lamenting our offensive struggles. He was like, "Be patient. Even the Alabama guys have said Mac's system is their 2nd toughest to prepare for...he just doesn't have a QB." I asked, "Who is the most difficult for them?", thinking they would have said Urban's or Dabo's. Imagine my surprise when he said, "Butch Jones." I was like, "Huh?" And he said, "Yeah, apparently Saban has their defensive analysts (these are largely back-office, off-the-field staff) do these things called 'chart sessions' for each opponent, and Butch's offense requires double the amount of chart sessions to prepare for his system..." He said they have to allot extra time for the prep during their scheduling for that game week and it's a real pain.
So, take it for what's worth, but just something to think about. The guy who can be the biggest thorn in Saban's side may already be standing on UT's sideline.
