Nick Saban retires: Best options to coach Alabama football going forward

The day Alabama football fans feared has come: Nick Saban is retiring, and now the Crimson Tide face a decision that will define the program going forward

Alabama head coach Nick Saban retired from football this week, leaving a gigantic void in the sport he has almost completely dominated and established a new standard, winning six national championships at the school, and seven in total, the most among any coach in the 155-year history of college football.

Which leaves the unenviable question: Who replaces him? Alabama finds itself on the cusp of a decision that will define the program for some time going forward, having to find the successor to the man who made the Crimson Tide the standard bearer over the last decade-plus. Who are the best options on the table right now?

Lane Kiffin

Ole Miss head coach

Kiffin's name was featured prominently in the coaching carousel last offseason when the Auburn job came open. He was Saban's offensive coordinator from 2014-16 and is 34-15 as the Rebels' head coach since 2020, and has been successful recruiting and especially in the transfer portal.

Kalen DeBoer

Washington head coach

The Huskies are 29-3 under DeBoer, who is 104-12 as a college coach in his career, over the last two seasons and just played for the national championship. Washington is looking to sign him to a new contract, and he has a $12 million buyout.

Dan Lanning

Oregon head coach

A $20 million buyout, combined with Lanning's apparent dedication to the Ducks, may seem to count him out as an option. But Alabama would be interested in trying to get one of college football's premier defensive strategists, one who worked at UA as a grad assistant in 2015 and then for Kirby Smart engineering Georgia's historic 2021 defense.

Mike Norvell

Florida State head coach

A more affordable $4 million buyout may interest Alabama, as would his helping rebuild the Seminoles program, culminating in an undefeated ACC championship season in 2023. There's also the question of Florida State's future in the ACC, as the school is looking to get out of that league's contract. Life in the SEC could appear more stable.

Steve Sarkisian

Texas head coach

Sark appears to have finally turned the corner at Texas, leading it to a Big 12 title and College Football Playoff appearance. He could want to stick around and finish the job. Or could he parlay that success into another prestigious job? Sarkisian was the Tide's offensive coordinator in 2019-20 and won a national championship.

Dabo Swinney

Clemson head coach

A native of Alabama and former Crimson Tide player, Swinney helped build the Clemson program into the only real threat to Saban's teams in the College Football Playoff era, twice beating the master in the national championship, including Saban's worst-ever loss. Swinney is 170-43 with two national championships as Clemson's head coach since 2008.

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