Mike Locksley is in his first season as Alabama's offensive coordinator after working as an offensive analyst in 2016 and as the receivers coach and co-offensive coordinator last year.Mike Locksley was promoted in January to offensive coordinator by Alabama head football coach Nick Saban, but he can't completely delve into his new role just yet.
After all, a starting quarterback has yet to be named, with junior Jalen Hurts and sophomore Tua Tagovailoa continuing their competition for that spot.
"Ultimately, Coach Saban will make that decision," Locksley said in a recent news conference. "Once that decision is made, it will be my job to put in a system or game plan to where we're successful on game day."
Alabama held its 11th preseason practice Wednesday with an evening workout and is a little more than two weeks from its Sept. 1 opener against Louisville in Orlando, Florida. The 48-year-old Locksley joined Alabama's staff as an offensive analyst before the 2016 season and worked last year as the receivers coach and co-offensive coordinator.
Though he has yet to kick off his third autumn in Tuscaloosa, Locksley already has worked with three Crimson Tide offensive coordinators - Lane Kiffin, Steve Sarkisian and Brian Daboll.
"I'm appreciative of Coach Saban giving me this opportunity," Locksley said. "Alabama has proven to be a special place for me to work. The opportunity to learn and work under Coach Saban is something you just can't replicate."
Saban has two new coordinators at Alabama for the first time since 2008, with defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi having never served in the role before. That is not the case with Locksley, who parlayed his success as the Illinois offensive coordinator a decade ago to a head-coaching opportunity at New Mexico.
Locksley's stint with the Lobos was disastrous: He was suspended 10 days without pay in 2009 after an altercation with an assistant and was fired just four games into his third season in 2011 with a 2-26 record. He landed at Maryland, where he was the offensive coordinator from 2012 to the midway mark of the 2015 season, when he became interim coach for the final six games.
"I think Michael Locksley has a wealth of experience," Saban said last month at SEC Media Days. "He's been a coordinator for a long time, and he's been in our system. He's made great contributions in our program recruiting as well as how he impacts players, and he has experience being a head coach and a coordinator at other places where he's had a tremendous amount of success.
"We're very, very confident that he will do a great job, and the players have responded extremely well to him. I have a lot of confidence in Mike."
Locksley is well aware of how many toys he has to play with, regardless of the starting quarterback. Alabama's most significant departures from last season's offense were receiver Calvin Ridley and center Bradley Bozeman, but the Crimson Tide return four starters up front and a slew of sophomore receivers who were clutch in January's 26-23 overtime victory over Georgia in the national championship game.
Alabama returns running backs Damien Harris, Najee Harris, Josh Jacobs and Brian Robinson Jr., which Locksley views as the strength of the unit.
"All four of those guys are uber talented guys," Locksley said, "so I would be an idiot if I didn't find ways to get them all involved in our system. We're going to continue to find ways to do that."
Damien Harris has rushed for 1,000 yards each of the past two seasons, while Najee Harris is reportedly battling a foot injury that could keep him out of the opener. Saban is scheduled to meet with the media tonight, when he is expected to discuss that injury as well as reports Tagovailoa holds the upper hand in the quarterback race.
Locksley is quick to point out this is not his offense but Alabama's. Quarterbacks coach Dan Enos, who served as the Arkansas offensive coordinator last season, is "leading the charge in the skill development" of Hurts and Tagovailoa, with Locksley visiting that and other offensive meeting rooms.
The Crimson Tide have been versatile in recent seasons, whether with run/pass ratio or with tempo, and that will not change.
"The Alabama system has been very successful throughout the time Coach Saban has been here," Locksley said. "I'm not looking to reinvent the wheel."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.