Greg McElroy would be 'all in' on Alabama hiring Chris Klieman

Not everybody believes Alabama should stick with the usual suspects in its search to replace head coach Nick Saban. On Thursday, ESPN’s Greg McElroy explained why he believes Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman would be a perfect fit in Tuscaloosa.

“You want to talk about football acumen? I’m all in on a guy like Chris Klieman,” McElroy said. “You want a ball coach, a guy that’s just a flat-out ball coach – Chris Klieman is your guy. That dude will get it done.”

Klieman’s history speaks for itself. He took over at Kansas State in 2019, leading the team to an 8-5 record in his debut campaign. After a second-year slump, Klieman bounced back with a vigor in 2021. The 2022 season was even better.

Klieman led Kansas State to its first 10-win season and Big 12 title since 2012. While Kansas State couldn’t reach double-digit wins this season, Klieman still led his Wildcats to nine victories. They finished No. 18 in the final AP Top 25 Poll.

Further, Kansas State finished its season strong with a convincing 28-19 triumph over NC State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. Despite Klieman’s success, he isn’t currently a favorite to land the Alabama opening.

Chris Klieman’s competition in Tuscaloosa

Washington coach Kalen DeBoer, Florida State coach Mike Norvell and Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees are currently the serious contenders to receive interviews from the Crimson Tide, per John Brice of Football Scoop.

Whoever receives the job will have a massive challenge on their hands. After all, it isn’t easy to follow up the greatest act in college football history. In 17 season at Alabama, Saban tallied six national titles and won 201 games — tied with Vince Dooley (Georgia) for the second-most wins at a single school in SEC history.

During a sit-down interview with ESPN’s Rece Davis, Saban revealed what his advice would be Alabama’s next head coach.

“I think there is a great team of people here,” Saban said. “We get great cooperation in the University community. We’ve had great graduation rates. We’ve got really good personal development programs and great people who help guide players in a way that they have a better chance of being successful.

“We’ve done a really good job of developing players and we’ve had a lot of really good coaches,” Saban said. “And we’ve had a lot of really good players. I think it’s because we have a team of people who are dedicated to creating value to players.”