Forget Dabo Swinney, Nick Saban’s eventual successor may not even be coaching yet
By John Buhler
Who’s to say Nick Saban’s eventual successor is even coaching right now?
Nick Saban won’t coach forever, but Dabo Swinney surely won’t be his successor at Alabama.
Saban turns 69 years old on Halloween (nice!). The six-time national championship-winning head coach has been in Tuscaloosa since 2007. He has become an SEC institution in the last two decades, stemming from his initial run with the LSU Tigers before a two-year stint in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins from 2005 to 2006. Who knows how long he’s going to coach for?
If Saban does hang up the headset, he’ll have a pretty lucrative gig as presumably Lee Corso’s successor on ESPN’s College GameDay. We know Saban will crush it on television, given his occasional guest analyst work, his incredible press conferences and his one-of-a-kind responses to questions from sideline reporters like Maria Taylor.
Though ESPN could be calling his agent Jimmy Sexton soon, we should expect Saban to coach well into his 70s. If he coaches for another eight-to-10 years, who becomes his Alabama successor? Stop trying to convince yourself Swinney is coming home because he’s not going to leave Clemson to replace succeed a rival, even if it’s at his alma mater. What if Saban’s successor isn’t even coaching right now?
What if Nick Saban’s eventual successor at Alabama isn’t even a coach yet?
If there are two Power 5 coaches out there today who might have what it takes in due time to replace Saban, the two names that have to come to mind are Mario Cristobal of the Oregon Ducks and Jeremy Pruitt of the Tennessee Volunteers. Cristobal and Pruitt served under Saban. While Cristobal is a Miami grad, Pruitt has his degree from the University of Alabama. It could be them.
Though Oregon and Tennessee are definitely on the uptick as programs, they may not want to leave if things do pan out for them in the next decade or so up in Eugene or over in Knoxville. So if you want proof Saban’s eventual successor might come out of nowhere, look no further than Lincoln Riley with the Oklahoma Sooners or Ryan Day with the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Though both date their coaching roots back to the early 2000s, who would have thought these two coaches would be leading two of the five best jobs in the country this time five years ago? Bob Stoops and Urban Meyer were college football institutions. However, retirement from the coaching profession resulted in these two incredible promotions from within. Both programs are humming.
If we want to dig even deeper, perhaps there is an offensive wunderkind out there like Sean McVay or maybe Saban’s successor is still playing in the NFL right now? It’s not uncommon to see quality NFL players retire and get into the college coaching profession. Just look at Brian Hartline at Ohio State or Jim Leonhard with the Wisconsin Badgers. Maybe one day they’ll be head coaches?
Ultimately, we have no idea who will end up replacing Saban. He may retire after winning his next national championship this year, he may retire in 10 years. Who knows? If it’s sooner than expected, then Cristobal and Pruitt must be the top candidates. If it’s several years from now, maybe it’s a clipboard holder or a special teams player fighting for a roster spot in the NFL?
Saban’s eventual Alabama successor may not even be coaching yet, but it won’t be Swinney.
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