Bruce Feldman breaks down potential candidates to replace Nick Saban as Alabama coach

With the news Wednesday that Nick Saban will retire, it’s time to start speculating on candidates to replace him at Alabama. The legendary coach leaves big shoes to fill after leading the Crimson Tide to six national championships and nine SEC titles in his 15 seasons.

Bruce Feldman of The Athletic joined The Paul Finebaum Show on Wednesday to discuss the news. He pointed to Oregon coach Dan Lanning and Texas head man Steve Sarkisian.

Both Lanning and Sarkisian spent time working with Saban, and their ties to the program as well as the recent success they had this season.

“There’s a lot of guys,” Feldman said. “Not only did (Saban) bring six national titles to Tuscaloosa, but he also has the biggest coaching tree in the sport. There’s a lot of guys who spent time in Tuscaloosa and learned under Nick Saban that I think will get consideration. Dan Lanning was a GA there and he’s done a terrific job in a couple of years at Oregon. He’s got a good situation there. He’s got a loaded team moving into the Big Ten. I think that’s a call that Greg Byrne from Alabama may make.

“I know Steve Sarkisian impressed folks in Tuscaloosa when he was an assistant there. I’m sure he impressed them when his team came to Tuscaloosa last year and beat the Tide. He led them to a Playoff and he’s done a really good job at Texas as they’re moving into the SEC. Those are names that really stood out to me when I start to think ‘who are the guys that are very well-regarded there and have done a really good job?'”

Lanning, who is 37, brings experience coaching in the SEC not only at Alabama, but also as the defensive coordinator at Georgia from 2019-21. He’s been successful in his brief time at Oregon, leading the Ducks to a 22-5 record thus far. He had them competing for a spot in the College Football Playoff for most of this season, which ended with a victory in the Fiesta Bowl.

Sarkisian ran the Alabama offense in 2019 and 2020, winning a national championship with Saban in his final year. He’s since gone on to take over the Longhorns, leading them to their first appearance in the College Football Playoff this season.

It’s clear both Lanning and Sarkisian have their programs on the rise and have shown an ability to get the job done. However, there is still the question of whether they’d want to leave their current positions for the pressure-packed job of taking over for Saban.

Feldman also threw out Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer, fresh off a national championship appearance, as a candidate to watch for Alabama.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you hear Kalen DeBoer’s name because he has won everywhere he’s been,” Feldman said. “Took him only two years to get Washington turned around. He’s a different personality. He’s never been in the SEC. He’s not from the Saban tree. I know they have the same agent, Jimmy Sexton, so I wouldn’t rule that out. But again, it’s not somebody that’s been in the SEC.

“So I don’t know how that would play. But to me, he’s one of the top five or six coaches in college football. I think those are the names I’d keep an eye on at this point.”

Ultimately, it’s extremely early in the process with Saban still having not made an official statement on his retirement. This is a good list to start with, and expect Alabama to put in lots of research into the candidates before making an official decision.