Alabama coach Nick Saban doesn't just give blue-chip recruits a direct path to the NFL Draft anymore. In recent years, he's also taken in out-of-work coaches by hiring them as analysts or assistants, which in turn has proved to be a good way for those assistants to be re-hired somewhere else. 

The latest project, according to George Schroeder of USA Today, is ex-Oklahoma defensive coordinator Mike Stoops. The hire has not yet been made official by Alabama, but Schroeder reports that Stoops' new role will be of the "off-field" variety. 

Stoops was fired this past October following Oklahoma's 48-45 loss to Texas. Though the loss was the Sooners' only one for the regular season and did not keep them out of the College Football Playoff, it was a breaking point for Stoops, whose defenses in recent years had become a liability. 

Stoops' first stint as Oklahoma's defensive coordinator from 1999-2003 was wildly successful as the Sooners had more dominant defensive units. However, Stoops was unable to coordinate similar defenses upon his return to Oklahoma in 2012 after being fired as the coach of the Arizona Wildcats. This past season, the Sooners finished 101st in scoring defense, 114th in total defense and dead last in opponent red zone touchdown percentage. 

At Alabama, though, Stoops will have an opportunity for a fresh start in a yet-to-be-named capacity. If Stoops wants to get back into coaching, there's been no better place to reboot than under Saban. Florida Atlantic coach Lane Kiffin, Maryland coach Mike Locksley, Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian and former Tennessee coach Butch Jones are just some of the names who have passed through the Crimson Tide program in recent years.