Willis leaves the program

How about that? I've now officially seen it all.

Assistant coach James Willis is leaving Auburn to coach at Alabama.

Here's what Willis had to say via a statement issued from UA:

"I'm excited about the opportunity to come and work with Coach Saban at the University of Alabama," Willis said in the statement. "He is one of the best defensive coaches in the game and this is a chance to gain some great experience and learn from the best. You don't get many chances like that in the coaching business. When you combine that opportunity with the history and tradition at Alabama, it was a decision that was best for me personally as well as professionally. I know my wife and the kids are as excited as I am to join Coach Saban's staff."

IF YOU'RE TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF THIS: ... good luck. I will say that James was shocked by being in limbo during the post-Tuberville period. I dismissed his shock as an acting job at the time. I'm not so sure now. I talked with him Sunday night and he didn't seem agitated. We even talked about the transition from Tuberville to Chizik. While he didn't seem particularly thrilled by (allegedly) not knowing what was happening during those first few days of Chizik's tenure, I never sensed that he was bitter. There is talk that his post-Tuberville severance package was an issue.

Willis isn't returning calls right now.