Alabama coach Nick Saban shares his thoughts on how he expects his offense to perform under the new tutelage of Steve Sarkisian. (1:39)

In his college career, Jalen Hurts has heard a playcall only from the mouth of Lane Kiffin.

But the next playcall Alabama's freshman quarterback hears won’t be from Kiffin, Alabama's old offensive coordinator. It will be from Hurts' new coordinator: Steve Sarkisian.

Despite Kiffin's frequent assertions that he would remain on staff through the College Football Playoff, he is off to start rebuilding Florida Atlantic's football program. And suddenly Alabama's offense is under new management a week away from the biggest game of the season -- the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T against No. 2-ranked Clemson.

Hurts, in particular, must rebound from a Washington game in which he threw for a career-low 57 yards, and must rediscover the confidence that led to his winning SEC Offensive Player of the Year.

Alabama defeated Washington handily in a CFP semifinal despite Hurts' struggles, of course, but expecting that same kind of effort to beat a Clemson defense that shut out Ohio State and picked off veteran quarterback J.T. Barrett twice is asking a lot.

New Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian (left), shown with departing coordinator Lane Kiffin (right), has been on staff since Week 2, but his role as an analyst precluded him from coaching players one-on-one. RVR Photos/USA TODAY Sports

Remember, though Sarkisian has been on staff since Week 2 this season, his role as an analyst precluded him from coaching players one-on-one. It’s been more than a year since he’s called a play, and creating an in-game chemistry with a quarterback doesn’t happen overnight.

The good news for Alabama is that the transition from Kiffin to Sarkisian, while happening a tad early, was always supposed to be a smooth one. In fact, when Alabama initially began talking with Sarkisian during the summer, Kiffin said he imagined him as a potential successor.

The two coaches are cut from the same cloth: former head coaches and West Coast guys who got their big breaks at USC under Pete Carroll. This is the third time that Sarkisian has replaced Kiffin (twice as coordinator, once as a head coach).

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What’s more, even Kiffin thinks Sarkisian will do better working with Saban than Kiffin did. The outgoing OC endured a few so-called "ass-chewings" during his three years in the program.

Sarkisian’s personality and ability to manage people, Kiffin said, will be a better fit.

"I think it’s going to be a really easy transition," he said.

Then again, Kiffin said that before he and Saban "mutually agreed" to part ways. Now, with the national championship a week away, there’s strain on the transition.

Regardless, it’s clear that this change needed to happen, and keeping Kiffin on staff was no longer an option.

When Saban spoke to ESPN, he said the decision was made because of "the way we went about the last game, whether it was the preparation, the practice, being able to focus on what we needed to do for our team relative to the distractions that occur when you’re trying to hire a staff and recruit another place and all these types of things."

In other words: While getting Sarkisian early wasn’t the plan, it was better to bring in a coach who is focused on doing one job instead of juggling two.

It might be painful, but ripping off the Band-Aid and removing any potential for drama could be the best thing for the players and coaches moving forward.

They’ll have to get used to a new voice leading the offensive staff and quarterback meetings, but at least it will be a familiar face and a familiar offense under Sarkisian.