Saban retires: Who should Alabama contact first?
There is no replacing coach Nick Saban at Alabama but someone will take the job and there are many qualified candidates out there.
Check out the TideIllustrated Hot Board for the inside scoop on candidates to replace the legend. Here is a look at five that I believe should be getting a call from Alabama very soon.
MORE ON SABAN'S RETIREMENT: Which 2024 prospects will be critical for the next Bama coach to keep? | Five-stars that did and didn't live up to expectations under Saban at Bama | Who's next at Alabama? | Legend retires | Tough shoes to fill on and off field | Hidden gems of Saban's recruiting classes
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Kalen DeBoer, Washington
This is not the sexy pick but if Alabama wants a winner, turn nowhere else. DeBoer has won more than 90 percent of his games as a college football coach. He’s never had a losing season as a head coach.
He also just took Washington to the national championship game, beating Texas along the way and Oregon twice as the Huskies have just had their best two-year stretch in program history.
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Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
If you want to laugh, go ahead but Kiffin might have the best team in the country next season and it’s largely because of the transfer portal and his use of it to load up across the board. He’s a brilliant play-caller that restored his career under Saban and has gotten more serious as a coach.
He still has a unique personality and a love-hate relationship with many, but there’s no question he can lead a program at an elite level. In two of the last three seasons, Ole Miss has double-digit victories for the first time since the early 1960s.
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Dan Lanning, Oregon
The first call should go to Lanning. He should be the target of the search and only if Lanning turns it down should Alabama go to second options. Lanning is only 37 years old but he was a GA at Alabama before really cutting his teeth on Georgia’s coaching staff.
In two years as Oregon’s coach, he has a 22-5 record, he knows the NIL and transfer portal world, the SEC world and he’s a young star in the coaching profession. From building culture to recruiting at the high school and portal levels, Lanning makes a ton of sense.
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Mike Norvell, Florida State
The rebuild at Florida State has been extraordinary as Norvell won 10 games last season and went undefeated to win the ACC this year but was left out of the College Football Playoff. There is conflict there between the school and the ACC and after Norvell rebuilt the Seminoles, what’s the next step as college football moves toward two mega-conferences (the Big Ten and the SEC) with the Big 12 and ACC trying to remain relevant.
If offered, this might be the right time for Norvell to take the next step in his career – the biggest one for anybody yet.
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Steve Sarkisian, Texas
Sark has a big-boy job at Texas but I wonder if Saban retired a few years ago if Sarkisian would have been named his successor after doing so incredibly well – and being trusted – as Alabama’s offensive coordinator during those years.
Sarkisian has straightened out his life and straightened out the Texas football program as he took the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff this season and won 12 games. Sark might want to keep the train rolling in Austin but following Saban also could be something to really consider.