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While New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. has been linked to the vacant Boston College football head coaching position, another name from the Saints organization has surfaced. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported on Wednesday night that Saints offensive line coach/running game coordinator Aaron Kromer will interview for the position after New Orleans' Thursday night game against Atlanta.
Kromer and Bates have a connection, as Kromer served as an assistant coach at Miami (Ohio) from 1990-1998. Kromer is also a Miami alum, having played their from 1986 through 1989. That puts him roughly at 45 years of age.
Considered an rising coaching star in the NFL, Kromer would have to decide whether he would return to the college game or wait for an NFL head coaching opportunity to emerge. Several former Boston College coaches made stops at the Heights after having served as assistants and coordinators in the NFL and the program and the city have an NFL feel to it.
It's unclear whether this is a courtesy interview for an old contact or whether Bates has Kromer high on his list. This probably isn't the splash hire that fans have in mind, but I suppose you could do a lot worse than hiring an NFL OL coach to restore BC's tradition of pumping out NFL-calibre offensive linemen.