Former Alabama basketball coach Anthony Edwards on leaving program for NFL, NFL Draft: ‘I’ll be there’
Former Alabama coach Anthony Edwards says he will be “ready to go” to the NFL after being fired by Alabama athletic director Mike Alden.
The former coach and quarterbacks coach, who led the Crimson Tide to a national title and was a member of the 2005 national championship team, left the program on Monday, two days after Alden announced that he would be leaving to become the head coach at Texas A&M.
“It’s a new chapter for me and it’s a good one, and I’m excited about it,” Edwards said.
“I’m looking forward to my next step, and hopefully it’ll be a step up from where I’m at now.”
Edwards’ departure came a week after Aldan, the school’s athletic director since 2011, was fired amid allegations that he had sexually harassed women.
Edwards was one of Alabama’s most successful coaches.
He coached in the Pac-12 Conference from 2005-09, winning four national titles and leading the Crimson, along with Alabama’s baseball team, to the 2002 national championship.
He had been the Crimson’s head coach since 2010 and guided the Crimson to three consecutive NCAA Tournament berths.
Edwards’ contract with Alabama expires in 2018.
He will replace Mike Bobo, who will serve as Alabama’s athletic directors executive assistant for basketball.
Bobo was fired Monday after a six-year tenure that included five national championships, five SEC titles and three ACC titles.
Bobadilla said that Alden had informed him that he will leave on March 7.
Bobadilla, who served as an assistant coach at Alabama for three seasons, said that he was disappointed that Aldes departure had come just two days before he planned to return to coaching.
“I’ve said from the beginning that I thought that it would be best for him to be able to pursue other opportunities,” Bobadillas coach, Bobby Hurley, told Fox Sports on Tuesday.
“But when I heard the news from Mike, I knew he wanted to do this and was determined to get this done.”
Bobadillas contract ends at the end of the 2019-20 season, which ends on March 9.
Edkins will be paid $750,000 annually until that point.
Alabama’s women’s basketball team announced Monday that Edwards will be replacing coach Tracy Claeys on a two-year contract.
Edgers was the program’s leading scorer and a three-time All-SEC selection as a junior and senior.
He led the Tide to five national titles, including the 2004 national title, the 2006 national title as a freshman and the 2009 national title.
He played in five games as Alabama lost to Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Edkins’ departure comes just two weeks after Aldens departure, which comes after the Crimson announced Tuesday that he has resigned.
Edges departure comes one day after Alabama lost two players in the NCAA investigation into allegations that Alabama paid $4.9 million in bribes to recruits.
