On Monday, Alabama coach Nick Saban officially ended the search to replace former Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian when he announced the hiring of former Patriot’s assistant Brian Daboll. He spent 17 years in the NFL and helped the Patriots win five Super Bowls in two separate stints with the program.

“We are certainly happy to add a coach the caliber of Brian Daboll to our staff,” Saban said. “I have known Brian since he worked for us as a GA at Michigan State and he has a fantastic reputation in the coaching profession. He brings a tremendous work ethic to the job and has a wealth of football knowledge. Brian is a great teacher of the game, and someone who can relate well to our players. We are excited to welcome Brian, his wife Beth and their family to Tuscaloosa.”

Daboll recently coached tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett, but he also has experience working as an offensive coordinator for NFL teams. He served as an OC for Cleveland (2009 and 2010), Miami (2011) and Kansas City (2012). Michael Locksley will serve as co-offensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide.

In addition to serving as the OC, Daboll will also serve as the positional coach for quarterbacks. Under Daboll’s guidance Brett Favre earned a Pro Bowl berth in 2008 and finished with the second-highest completion percentage of his career (65.7 percent).

“I am honored to have the chance to return to the college game and work for Coach Saban at Alabama,” Daboll said. “He basically gave me my start in coaching as a graduate assistant at Michigan State in the late 1990s and has always been a very important influence on my coaching career. It is a tremendous opportunity to work at an institution such as Alabama with its rich tradition and history of sustained success, and I’m very excited to get started.”