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The sports world is in shock, as Alabama Football Head Coach Nick Saban is set to retire, according to multiple well-sourced reports.
Rarely in the history of college sports does someone leave a program that is still at or near the top without a surefire replacement already part of the staff. That is the case at Alabama, as it’s very, very unlikely that anyone currently on the staff will get the job.
That means that we are heading towards one of the most high-stakes coaching searches of all-time. Pretty much any other school would be scared of getting into a bidding war against Alabama, given their resources, facilities, tradition, and support. If it’s not the best college coaching job in the country, it’s no lower than second, right behind Georgia.
A ton of big names will be mentioned in this search, but here are the five names I think are most likely to land the job and fill some of the biggest shoes in American sports history. The coaches are listed in no particular order.
Dan Lanning, Oregon Ducks Head Coach
Oregon Head Coach Dan Lanning is going to be named a lot in this coaching search, as he’s considered one of the best young coaches in America. Many view him as they viewed Kirby Smart, his mentor, when Smart was Saban’s defensive coordinator at Alabama as the next superstar SEC coach. He’s not in the SEC anymore, as he left his job as Georgia’ defensive coordinator under Kirby Smart for the Oregon job after the 2021 season.
Since, he’s had two close misses in terms of making the College Football Playoff, but he has returned Oregon to college football’s elite. Lanning is 22-5 in two years at Oregon, and has been recruiting at an incredibly high level. He would be an outstanding fit in Tuscaloosa, where he spent a year as a GA in 2015.
DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans Head Coach
You’ve got to make him say no, right? Given the realities of coaching college football now, with the transfer portal and NIL making the entire roster the equivalent of an unrestricted free agent, DeMeco Ryans may be just fine coaching in Houston with a great young core.
But, this is a call Alabama absolutely has to make. Ryans starred for the Crimson Tide just prior to Saban’s arrival, and went on to a fantastic NFL career that is sure to be attractive to many young men in the south. And, he’s proven to be an outstanding coach. After being hired away from San Francisco where he was serving as their defensive coordinator, to be the head coach of the Houston Texans, he put in one of the finest coaching jobs in recent memory as the team won ten games and captured the AFC South title. I have no doubt that he would be an incredible recruiter, and we know the 39-year-old would be able to coach.
Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss Head Coach
Lane Kiffin has it going at Ole Miss, as the program looks poised for the best stretch in the history of their program. The Rebels have won 29 games the last three years in the brutal SEC West. And, he’s shown the ability to bring in a ton of talent to a place that’s pretty tough to get talent to. Kiffin has a legendary transfer portal class lined up off of an 11-2 season, and Ole Miss should absolutely make the College Football Playoff next year.
But, you wouldn’t be hiring Kiffin because of his ability to bring in talent. Kiffin is one of the best offensive minds in all of football, and is truly an Einstein-level play caller. When Nick Saban realized he needed to modernize the Alabama offense, the GOAT brought in Lane Kiffin, and that led to a second act for the Crimson Tide dynasty. Kiffin has had two great head coaching stints since, and it seems as if he’s moved past some of the immaturity issues that hurt him in his early 30’s at stops at Tennessee, USC, and with the Raiders. Expect him to get an interview for the position, and possibly land it.
Mike Norvell, Florida State Head Coach
If Mike Norvell ends up with the Alabama job, things will have gone from bad to worse for Florida State following their snub from the College Football Playoff and poor finish to the recruiting cycle. But, he should be considered a top-flight candidate and has everything it takes to be successful there.
Norvell has never coached in the SEC, but he has coached extensively in the south. He turned around a Memphis program that had fallen on hard times, going 38-15, including a 12-1 season. After moving to Florida State, Norvell once again took over a program down on its luck, and has orchestrated a massive turnaround. After two subpar years to start, The Seminoles have gone 23-4 the last two years, including starting 2023 13-0 before getting slaughtered by Georgia in the Orange Bowl when practically the entire Florida State starting lineup sat out. He can recruit incredibly well, has shown ability as a program CEO, and is a good offensive mind. Plus, Florida State is in a bad situation in the ACC, and he may be looking for an escape route out of there where he will not be at a resource disadvantage. This would be a great hire for Alabama.
Steve Sarkisian, Texas Head Coach
In some ways, Steve Sarkisian’s candidacy is similar to Lane Kiffin’s. Both have overcome early struggles as a head coach and spent time at Alabama running the Crimson Tide offense in 2019 and 2020. Since taking the Texas job, Sarkisian has finally brought Texas back, as the team went 12-2 this year, beat Alabama, and made the College Football Playoff.
There’s no question that Sarkisian can coach and recruit at a high level. The quarterback guru unexpectedly snagged Arch Manning away from the SEC, and has helped turn Quinn Ewers into one of the nation’s best quarterbacks. He’s recruiting at an incredibly high level as Texas has completely rebuilt itself in the trenches.
The question is, would Sarkisian entertain leaving one of the nation’s only programs that could offer him similar resources as Alabama can. With Texas moving to the SEC, what more could a coach want?