Nick Saban Retires: Who Could Be The Next Head Coach For The Tide?
1/10/24
Nick Saban has announced his retirement.
This news came after Saban scheduled a meeting at 4 PM today, which caused rumors to spread about his future in Alabama. Saban, who built Alabama into a football powerhouse, leaves with a remarkable record of 292-71-1 and 7 National Championships, 11 SEC Titles. He has also set multiple records in sending players to the NFL.
It's a challenging responsibility to take on the role after the greatest head coach in history. Let's explore the potential candidates for the job.
The Candidates
Dabo Swinney, Head Coach, Clemson
Why It Makes Sense
If Alabama is looking to hire someone with strong ties to the program, they should consider Dabo Swinney. Swinney was born in Birmingham, Alabama, which is essentially an extension of Tuscaloosa.
Moreover, Swinney attended the University of Alabama from 1990 to 1992, where he was part of the 1992 National Championship Team. After graduating, he became a Graduate Assistant for the Alabama program from 1993 to 1995 and remained with them until 2000.
Although he took a brief break from coaching, he resumed his career in 2003 as the coach for wide receivers at Clemson. He held this position until he was named interim head coach in 2008, and in 2009 he was given the role of head coach for Clemson. During his tenure at Clemson, he has won two national titles and 8 ACC titles.
Reason For Concern
One of the reasons behind Saban's retirement from college football is the rapidly changing landscape of the sport. He expressed his disagreement with the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policy and the Transfer Portal.
Coach Swinney is known to be more opposed to these policies than Saban. It remains to be seen whether he will change his stance on these issues now that he is coaching the Tide. However, it seems highly unlikely.
Mike Norvell, Head Coach, Florida State
Why He Makes Sense
Coach Norvell has a history of winning everywhere he has gone. He achieved a 38-16 record at Memphis, leading the Tigers to the AAC title from 2017-2019. After a successful four-year tenure at Memphis, Coach Norvell set his sights on a bigger opportunity.
In 2020, Coach Norvell was announced as the new Head Coach for the Florida State Seminoles, and since then, he has continued to achieve great success. In 2022, he led the Seminoles to their first 10-win season since 2016. This year, despite suffering several injuries, the Seminoles won 13 games and secured the ACC Title. They were only a Jordan Travis injury away from making the College Football Playoff.
Reason For Concern
As I stated Norvell has won everywhere he has coached. The only issue? He has never coached in the SEC. I still think he's a great head coach but this could be a turn-off for the decision-makers in Tuscaloosa.
Steve Sarkisian, Head Coach, Texas
Why He Makes Sense
Coach Sarkisian offers everything they are looking for in their next head coach. He has a deep understanding of the program, and having previously worked as an assistant coach, he has successfully turned Texas into a competitive team. Most importantly, Sark has received support from Saban himself to become the next head coach of the Crimson Tide.
Reason For Concern
Few programs in the country can match the resources offered by Alabama, and Texas is one of them. It seems like a daunting task to take Coach Sarkisian away from Texas, especially after they had their best season in years, and with Quarterback Quinn Ewers returning.
Kalen DeBoer, Head Coach, Washington
Why He Makes Sense
Coach DeBoer can coach with anyone in the country. He has a career record of 37-9, posting an insane .804 win percentage.
He has led the Washington team to win 11+ games in each of his first two seasons. In 2023, he guided the Huskies to a Pac-12 Championship victory over the Oregon Ducks and took them to their first National Championship Game since 1991.
Reason For Concern
Similar to Coach Norvell, Coach DeBoer doesn't have any SEC experience. I'm not saying he can't come into the SEC and win we just haven't seen it.
Prediction
Ever since I got the news that Saban is retiring, my first thought was on who would take over as the next head coach. Dan Lanning was the immediate heavy favorite to take over for Nick Saban. I didn't buy it as the first name mentioned is never the guy to get the job.
Instead, my first thought was Kalen DeBoer is a perfect fit for this job. To follow up the greatest head coach to ever do it you are going to need someone who is thick-skinned and can handle adversity, and most importantly win games. I believe Kalen DeBoer will be the next Head Coach for the Crimson Tide.
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