Wow. Nick Saban is officially done at Alabama, reportedly submitting his resignation and easing into retirement as the Crimson Tide look for a new coach to author the next chapter of an illustrious program. There won't be a more coveted job in college football — maybe all of football.
Saban spent 17 years at Alabama, where he posted a combined record of 297-71 with six championships. He also coached five years at LSU (2000-04), five years at Michigan State (1995-99), and one year at Toledo all the way back in 1990, when he got his start. He also deserved as Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator (1991-94) and Miami Dolphins head coach (2005-06).
There isn't a more accomplished coach in recent football history. We probably won't see anybody achieve Saban's level of success for decades. His career ends on a rather dour note — with a Rose Bowl loss to Michigan in the CFP semifinals — but that will not overshadow a historic, Hall of Fame career.
The Crimson Tide lack internal candidates to replace Saban, as long-time defensive coordinator Kevin Steele is also expected to retire. Alabama will therefore look elsewhere, with sights set on several prominent head coaches across the college football landscape. There are major financial implications to poaching a head coach from another program, but this is Alabama. We should expect nothing short of the best.
Here are the strongest candidates to replace Saban.
5. Alabama can hire Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer
Kalen DeBoer's ascension in the college football world has been rapid. He went from Fresno State offensive coordinator to Fresno State head coach to Washington head coach — and National Championship runner-up — in a period of five years.
While DeBoer doesn't have the same recruiting chops as other major Alabama candidates — UW currently has the 36th best recruiting class of 2024, per 247Sports — that should come naturally with the move to Tuscaloosa. What DeBoer can claim is major chops on the field. He built the most explosive, dynamic offense in the country at Washington. The Huskies were blessed with the perfect pass-happy QB in Michael Penix Jr., but DeBoer would have a who's-who of offensive recruits to build his system around at Alabama.
With the Pac-12 dissolving into dust, the Huskies' future as a Big Ten program is murky. The SEC is getting a facelift, too, but Alabama figures to remain as prominent and dominant as ever. With DeBoer at the reins, there would be no doubt about Bama's ability to put up points and spread defenses thin.
DeBoer went 25-3 in two seasons at Washington. He was 12-6 in a brief two-year stint at Fresno State beforehand. After completely revamping the Huskies program, it's not difficult to buy DeBoer as the next face of Alabama football, even if he's not the flashiest name in the rumor mill.
4. Alabama can hire Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin
Lane Kiffin spent three years as Nick Saban's offensive coordinator and right-hand man from 2014-16. Before that, he was head coach of the USC Trojans (2010-13) and Tennessee Volunteers (2009). He was even served a brief, tumultuous term as Oakland Raiders head coach (2007-08). Raiders owner Al Davis once called Kiffin a "professional liar." Now, he's one of the most logical choices to take the Alabama job.
Kiffin's career trajectory has hardly been linear. After getting left on the airport tarmac by USC a decade ago, Kiffin went to Alabama. When he took the head coaching job at Florida Atlantic (2017-19), Nick Saban axed Kiffin from the Crimson Tide staff one week before the national championship game, concerned that Kiffin already had "one foot out the door."
His unceremonious exit at Alabama a few years ago could count against Kiffin, but it's impossible to deny Kiffin's general qualifications. After serving three years at FAU, he rebuilt the Ole Miss program into a perennial SEC contender. The Rebels currently have a top-20 recruiting class in 2024 and, when it comes to replacing Saban, it would make sense to hire a candidate with strong past ties to the program. Lane Kiffin's name carries a lot of weight.
Maybe Kiffin burned too many bridges. Maybe Saban wouldn't offer his seal of approval. But, if the Crimson Tide are willing to let bygones be bygones, there are less qualified, and far less accomplished hypothetical candidates being tossed around.
3. Alabama can hire Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian
What about Lane Kiffin's replacement? Steve Sarkisian took over offensive coordinator duties late in the 2016 season after Kiffin left. With head coaching experience at Washington (2009-13), USC (2014-15), and now Texas (2021-present), Sarkisian certainly has the résumé and the connections to pop up on Alabama's radar.
It would take a lot to get Sarkisian away from Texas. The Longhorns are, at long last, "back." Their CFP semifinals loss to Washington was a tough pill to swallow, but the state of Texas is a football hotbed. The Longhorns' program is one of the few that can challenge Alabama's prestige in the grand scheme of college football history. Texas currently has the No. 3 recruiting class for 2024, behind only Georgia and Alabama (and the Crimson Tide just lost their all-time great coach...).
Sarkisian has proven his mettle, both as a recruiter in the south and as a coach on the field. He would bring offensive ingenuity to the Crimson Tide sideline. Texas just beat Alabama head-to-head a few months ago. Sarkisian has a winning record in eight of 10 seasons as a college head coach. He is 25-14 in three seasons at Texas.
If the Crimson Tide want a coach with prior experience in the program, Sarkisian is probably the dream candidate. He spent a couple years in the NFL as Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator (2017-18), which speaks to how highly the broader football world thinks of his play-calling talent. Factor in Sarkisian's newfound status as a recruiting behemoth, and Alabama would be lucky to have him.
2. Alabama can hire Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney
Why not? Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is one of the most acclaimed and respected coaches in the college football world. His methods aren't always beloved by fans, but he generally gets positive results on the field. In 15 years and change as the Tigers' head coach, Swinney is 170-43 with only one losing season and two national championships to his name.
Swinney has become entrenched in the Clemson community. It's difficult to imagine him dressed in anything other than bright orange and midnight purple. But, Alabama is the job in college football. If ever there was a job to test Swinney's loyalty to Clemson, it's this one.
On top of the inherent benefits of coaching in Tuscaloosa, Swinney played his college football at Alabama. He grew up in Birmingham, and he happened to get his start as a coach with the Crimson Tide as a graduate assistant and wide receivers coach back in the mid-1990s. Swinney would be leaving Clemson to return to his roots, his alma mater. And, it just so happens that his alma mater can probably up his pay and bolster his legacy.
The Tigers are coming off their worst season in over a decade... 9-4. That is how high Swinney has set the bar in the Carolina suburbs. His buyout is less than other prime candidates, so we cannot cross this one off the list, no matter how unlikely it seems.
1. Alabama can hire Oregon head coach Dan Lanning
Few names are hotter in the college football world right now than Dan Lanning. At 37 years old, he's the bright young mind in charge of the Oregon football program, which just finished the season 12-2 (with their only losses coming to National Championship runner-up Washington). He is Alabama's preferred candidate, per Brett McMurphy of Action Network.
Of course Lanning is the dream candidate. The Ducks currently have the No. 6 recruiting class. Oregon has ascended to powerhouse status on the West Coast and most importantly, Lanning is a spring chicken by college football coaching standards. Alabama will want a coach that can grow the program over a sustained period of time, not unlike Saban. There's no point in luring an established name to Tuscaloosa, only for that coach to retire in another five years.
Lanning is 22-5 since taking the Oregon job. He has made the transition to head coaching seamlessly after serving as Kirby Smart's defensive coordinator at Georgia (2019-21), where he engineered the Dawgs' championship-winning defense in 2021. He has light connections to Alabama — Lanning served as a graduate assistant under Saban in 2015 — which preceeded his arrival at UGA under Smart. But, the Ducks would be hiring Lanning because of his undeniable aptitude and upside.
He checks every box. Ability, both as a schematic mind and a recruiter. The potential for longevity. Lanning is Alabama's preferred candidate for a reason. It's Alabama, and Alabama has the cachet to hand-pick their next head coach. Lanning is the best candidate.