Who could replace Nick Saban at Alabama? Dan Lanning, Steve Sarkisian and other candidates

Alabama’s Nick Saban is retiring. The 72-year-old Saban will go down as the greatest coach in college football history. He won seven national titles, one at LSU and six with the Crimson Tide.

Saban restored Alabama to the top of the college football world, leaves behind a massive legacy and has the biggest coaching tree in the sport. Replacing him will be an enormous task for Alabama and athletic director Greg Byrne.

Among the names industry sources expect to get consideration are a couple of former Saban proteges.

Oregon’s Dan Lanning is a former graduate assistant under Saban and has rocketed up the coaching ranks, helping Georgia win a national title as defensive coordinator and then hitting the ground running in Eugene, going 22-5. Lanning is only 37, but he’s wise beyond his years. He’s proven he can put good staffs together, recruit at a very high level and is adept on the name, image and likeness (NIL) front. I’m told his family really likes it in Oregon, and he’s got a team in place for 2024 that could be the favorite to win the Big Ten in its debut season. The terms of his contract with the school for his buyout is a robust $20 million, but I’ve heard it would actually cost significantly more if Lanning left the Ducks job. The Tide football program has been printing money under Saban. Does Lanning want to be the guy who takes over for Saban? He’s got a good job, but it’s also a place where no one has ever won the national title.

Texas’ Steve Sarkisian resurrected his career in Tuscaloosa after off-field issues ended his brief tenure at USC. The 49-year-old Sarkisian learned well under Saban about how to run a program, and his offensive philosophy evolved. He’s gone 25-14 in three years at Texas. This season, Sarkisian’s Longhorns went 12-2, beat Bama in Tuscaloosa and made the College Football Playoff.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, left, resurrected his career at Alabama. (Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

The 2023 Horns were the best Texas team rival coaches said they’d seen in years. “It’s not even close,” said a Big 12 analyst. “Outside of the talent, it’s the most disciplined, as well as the toughest. They were always gonna be the most talented, but we always thought we’d be the tougher team and we could get to them mentally. I think they’re very disciplined, more so than they’ve ever been. That’s a great compliment to Sark.”

I’m told Sarkisian impressed the Tide brass in his time at Alabama. Would he leave a good situation that he’s worked hard to build up in Austin to take over for a legend who will leave behind a huge shadow? Is it a better job than the one he has?

Washington’s Kalen DeBoer has done a remarkable job in two seasons in Seattle. He took over a 4-8 team two years ago and led them to the national title game this season. The 49-year-old DeBoer, who won three NAIA national titles at Sioux Falls, has a staggering career record of 104-12. Over the past two years, the Huskies went 10-1 versus Top 25 teams. DeBoer is 12-2 all-time against ranked opponents.

“As head coaches, we all talk about poise in the moment, but he just lives it,” Washington State coach Jake Dickert told The Athletic last week. “He is so cool, so collected. He is able to stay through every moment and keep pushing through it. Right, wrong or indifferent, he proves that coaching really matters because most of the guys on that roster now were on that 4-8 team two years ago — and I know (quarterback Michael) Penix wasn’t, but almost all of the other guys were still there. What he’s done to transform those guys is pretty damn incredible. I know he’s got the respect of the whole coaching world.”

The South Dakota native is a brilliant offensive mind and culture builder. He loves it at Washington, and his daughter will be a freshman on the Huskies softball team next year. He has never worked in the SEC, which might give some at Alabama pause as that league is seen as a different animal, but DeBoer recently hired Jimmy Sexton, the same agent as Saban and many SEC coaches. The Bama opening could lead to Sexton negotiating big raises for other coaches.

Florida State’s Mike Norvell might get out of the ACC before his team can. Norvell, who has done a terrific job rebuilding the Noles, has only a $4 million buyout. He took over a reeling program, and in four seasons has gone from three wins, to five wins, to 10 wins and the brink of the Playoff, going 13-1. The 42-year-old Texan, like DeBoer, has never coached in the SEC. But Norvell has shown that he has an excellent grasp of working the transfer portal and might be an interesting fit for the Tide.

Clemson’s Dabo Swinney played at Alabama. He also beat his alma mater and Saban for two national titles. He’s been a great fit for the Tigers, but it feels to many around the sport that he’s struggled adapting to life with the transfer portal. His program has backslid in the past few years. After six top-four finishes (and those two national titles), the Tigers have finished No. 14, No. 13 and this year No. 20. There’s skepticism he would want to replace Saban, and it’s unclear if Alabama would come after him.

(Top photo of Oregon coach Dan Lanning: Soobum Im / USA Today)