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The Buffalo Bills announced Sunday afternoon that they have hired Alabama offensive coordinator Brian Daboll to fill the same role.
Daboll, 42, worked as tight ends coach for the New England Patriots for three seasons before being hired by Nick Saban and returning to the collegiate ranks. He's worked as an offensive coordinator for three NFL teams in the past, bouncing from the Cleveland Browns to the Miami Dolphins to the Kansas City Chiefs from 2009 to 2012.
Daboll's departure leaves Alabama, the defending national champions, in search of its fourth offensive coordinator in three years. Lane Kiffin held the position for three seasons before becoming Florida Atlantic's head coach late in 2016. Steve Sarkisian replaced Kiffin for one game before joining the Atlanta Falcons.
Now, it's Daboll on the move. In Buffalo, he'll be reunited with coach Sean McDermott, whom he met at William & Mary in 1997; Daboll was a restricted earnings coach that year, and McDermott was a senior safety on the team.
“Brian did a tremendous job for us this past season at Alabama, and I know he will do a great job for the Buffalo Bills," Saban said in a statement. "He is an outstanding coach and coordinator who put us in position to be successful each week. We appreciate all that he did in terms of his time and his dedication in contributing to the success we had this season. We wish Brian, his wife Beth, and their entire family all the best.”
Daboll also will be returning to a familiar part of the country after attending high school in Athol Springs, N.Y., and playing college football at the University of Rochester.
"We are excited to hire Brian as our offensive coordinator and welcome him back to Western New York," McDermott said in a statement. "I know how much this area means to him. He is a good coach and a good teacher and has been a part of winning programs in the NFL and in college."
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.
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