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It appears things may be moving fast in Alabama after Nick Saban’s retirement.
On Wednesday, ESPN’s Chris Low reported that Saban had shockingly decided to retire from coaching at Alabama after 17 seasons.
One of the greatest runs in college football history is over. Nick Saban informed his team today that he's retiring, sources tell ESPN. He won six national championships at Alabama and one at LSU.
— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) January 10, 2024
Low’s report was later confirmed by Saban via a statement released by the school.
“The University of Alabama has been a very special place to Terry and me,” Saban said. “We have enjoyed every minute of our 17 years being the head coach at Alabama as well as becoming a part of the Tuscaloosa community. It is not just about how many games we won and lost, but it’s about the legacy and how we went about it. We always tried to do it the right way. The goal was always to help players create more value for their future, be the best player they could be and be more successful in life because they were part of the program. Hopefully, we have done that, and we will always consider Alabama our home.”
The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy went on to report that Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, who previously worked as a graduate assistant under Saban in 2015, was the top target to become Alabama’s next head coach.
Alabama’s Nick Saban is retiring, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. 1st reported by@ClowESPN. Oregon’s Dan Lanning expected to be top target to replace Saban, source told @ActionNetworkHQ
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) January 10, 2024
According to KVAL Eugene news anchor Brandon Kamerman, he has sources that have already confirmed to him that Lanning is currently in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
“I previously worked in Alabama, in Tuscaloosa… I do have some sources there, who did confirm that Lanning is in Tuscaloosa…”
KVAL (Eugene) news anchor Brandon Kamerman says Oregon HC Dan Lanning is currently in Tuscaloosa, just hours after Nick Saban retired.
"I previously worked in Alabama, in Tuscaloosa… I do have some sources there, who did confirm that Lanning is in Tuscaloosa…" 🏈📺 pic.twitter.com/3HU4SSpKQn
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 11, 2024
It is worth noting that no other news source has yet to confirm Kamerman’s report and even if Lanning is in Tuscaloosa, it doesn’t mean he will get hired immediately.