Nick Saban replacement: Odds released on next head coach at Alabama

After Nick Saban announced his retirement as Alabama head coach, all eyes are on what’s next for the Crimson Tide. Replacing the greatest of all time is a tall task, and the oddsmakers at SportsBetting.ag projected the favorites to take over in T-Town.

The initial list of potential candidates starts with Oregon coach Dan Lanning, and he’s the favorite at 3/1, according to SportsBetting. Clemson head coach and former Alabama tight end Dabo Swinney has long been rumored as a potential candidate to replace Saban when he eventually stepped away, and he has the second-best odds to do so.

There are more notable names on the list, as well. Let’s take a look at what the oddsmakers think will happen at Alabama.

Dan Lanning, Oregon head coach — +300

Dan Lanning is part of Saban’s iconic coaching tree, serving as a graduate assistant at Alabama in 2015. He also had an opportunity to return to Tuscaloosa, but already took a job on Kirby Smart’s staff at Georgia, which prevented him from doing so.

Lanning is off to an impressive start to his head coaching career, amassing a 22-5 record over two years at Oregon. He’s also seen success on the recruiting trail at both the high school level and with the transfer portal, and that adds to his case to replace Saban at Alabama.

Dabo Swinney, Clemson head coach — +400

Before he was a national championship-winning coach at Clemson, Dabo Swinney was a walk-on at Alabama and eventually earned a scholarship. Throughout the years, his name came up as one to watch if Saban ever stepped away, and that day has finally come.

Swinney took over as Clemson head coach in the interim in 2008 after Tommy Bowden’s departure, and he assumed the full-time duties in 2009. In his 16 seasons at the helm, Swinney has a 170-43 overall record and two national championships in that time — both of which came over Alabama.

Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss head coach — +500

Lane Kiffin and Nick Saban have a unique relationship, which dates back to Kiffin’s time as the offensive coordinator at Alabama. Now in the midst of a highly successful run at Ole Miss, it could be an opportunity for him to pursue a return to the Crimson Tide to replace his former boss.

Kiffin credits Saban with saving his coaching career, leading to an opportunity at Florida Atlantic before heading to Ole Miss. The Rebels won 11 games this past season for the first time in program history, and they have a 34-15 record under Kiffin’s watch over the last four years.

Deion Sanders, Colorado head coach — +600

Deion Sanders took college football by storm at the start of his first season at Colorado. Although the Buffaloes had a rough ending to the season, he’s still one of the highest-profile names in the sport, which could be enticing to Alabama.

Colorado started the year 3-0 before losing eight of its last nine games, just one year removed from a 1-11 record. The Buffaloes continue to do big work in the portal, currently holding the No. 1 spot in the On3 Team Transfer Portal Index.

Kalen DeBoer, Washington head coach — +600

In just his second year at Washington, Kalen DeBoer took the Huskies to a national championship game. That also marked his third loss in that time as he turned the program around quickly after a 4-8 record under former coach Jimmy Lake.

DeBoer doesn’t have a connection to SEC Country, spending much of his career on the West Coast. But his ability to flip the script in Seattle is generating plenty of conversation, which is why he could emerge as a candidate to replace Saban.

Pat Shurmur, Colorado staffer/former NFL head coach — +900

Pat Shurmur made name for himself in the NFL as an offensive coordinator and New York Giants head coach, but has never been the head coach at the collegiate level. However, his name came up on SportsBetting’s odds board to replace Nick Saban — and there’s a connection.

Shurmur was on Michigan State’s staff from 1990-97 as tight ends, offensive line and special teams coach, which meant he spent two years under Saban in East Lansing. He spent this past season at Colorado under Deion Sanders as an analyst, but took over play-calling duties at one point.

Urban Meyer, former Florida/Ohio State head coach — +1000

When a job opens around college football, Urban Meyer’s name is probably going to come up. That’s again the case after Nick Saban announced his retirement — although it’s not likely to happen.

Meyer, who is in Saban’s company as a coach to win a national championship at two programs, made it clear he’s happy doing his work with FOX Big Noon Kickoff. The former Florida and Ohio State coach doesn’t seem to have any intention of returning to the sideline, even though he’s showing up on the odds board to take over at Alabama.

Billy Napier, Florida head coach — +1400

Billy Napier is no stranger to Tuscaloosa, serving as an analyst and wide receivers coach in two separate stints under Saban. He’s gearing up for his third year as the head coach at Florida, although there have been mixed results so far.

Florida went 6-6 in Napier’s first season, but that record dropped to 5-7 in 2023. All the while, there were questions about play-calling and on the recruiting trail with multiple high-profile flips on National Signing Day, meaning Napier might not be a strong candidate to replace his former boss.

Derek Dooley, Alabama senior analyst — +1400

Derek Dooley has head coaching experience in the SEC, serving in the role at Tennessee from 2010-12. Since then, he’s largely been an assistant at the NFL and college levels, but returned to Alabama as a senior offensive analyst in 2022.

During his career as a head coach at Tennessee and Louisiana Tech, Dooley had a 32-41 overall record. He and Nick Saban go back to their days at LSU, which is the connection in place when Saban brought Dooley to Tuscaloosa.

More odds on who could replace Nick Saban at Alabama

Mike Norvell, Florida State head coach — +1600
Ryan Day, Ohio State head coach — +2000
DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans head coach/former Alabama LB — +2200
Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame head coach — +2200
James Franklin, Penn State head coach — +2500
Sherrone Moore, Michigan offensive coordinator — +2500
Mike Shula, Buffalo Bills analyst/former Alabama head coach — +2800
Steve Sarkisian, Texas head coach — +3500
Will Muschamp, Georgia defensive coordinator — +4000
Mario Cristobal, Miami head coach — +5000
Mike Vrabel, former Tennessee Titans head coach — +5000
Dan Quinn, Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator — +6600
Brian Daboll, New York Giants head coach — +7500