After 28 seasons as a head football coach, Nick Saban has decided to retire. Here are five potential head coach candidates for Alabama.
Swinney is currently coaching Clemson. He has been the head coach for the Tigers for 19 seasons posting a 170-43 record at the school. During his time at the school, he won two national championships, showing he can reach the peaks of the sport.
Before coaching at Clemson, he spent time as an assistant at Alabama. He also played there and has long been rumored to be the successor to Saban. What might get him to leave Clemson is the last few years haven’t been up to the recent standards of the program. He hasn’t made the College Football Playoff since 2020 and had four losses this season.
Lanning is the head coach at Oregon, where he has found success early in his coaching career. He has posted a 22-5 record over two seasons. This season was the better of the two, as he went 12-2 and won the Fiesta Bowl.
Not only does Lanning have experience at Alabama as a grad assistant, but he also has some time spent in the SEC. He was the defensive coordinator at Georgia before taking the Oregon job. Lanning has proven to be a good on-field coach and can recruit well, which could make him a good fit at a premier program like Alabama.
DeBoer is coming off of a great season with Washington where they made the National Championship Game. At Washington, he posted a 25-3 record in two seasons. He spent two seasons as the head coach at Fresno State before Washington, where he went 12-6.
While he doesn’t have many ties to the school or even the SEC, DeBoer’s offense was great and brought Washington to prominence. He may be motivated to leave Washington, even at an odd time in the coaching cycle, because a lot of his roster will be taking the next step and going to the NFL. If Alabama is able to retain some talent from their roster, he can help develop them just like he did with the Huskies.
Sarkisian is the lead man at Texas and actually defeated Alabama this season. In three seasons at Texas, he has a 25-14 record. This season was his best yet, as they made the College Football Playoff and finished with a 12-2 record. He also has spent time at Washington and USC as a head coach.
As an assistant at Alabama, Sarkisian really developed as an offensive coach. Luring him away from another top job could be tough, but if he enjoyed his time at Alabama, he could be lured back to Tuscaloosa. It seems like he could fit right back in with players and some of the remaining staff at Alabama.
Mike Norvell completed a turnaround at Florida State. This season, he had an undefeated year before falling to Georgia in the Orange Bowl. In his time at Florida State, he tallied a 31-17 record. He also spent time as the head coach of Memphis, where he had a 38-16 record.
Florida State under Norvell has been built through the transfer portal. He may not have to do the same thing at Alabama, which has been great at recruiting and has not utilized the transfer portal as much as most schools. He has proven to be a program builder and a good on-field coach, so he will probably get a look from Alabama.
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