Paul Finebaum lists Dan Lanning, DeMeco Ryans as two possible Nick Saban replacements

With the surprising news of legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban retiring from coaching, the manhunt to find his replacement is on. Several college football experts from across the country have weighed in, giving their opinions on who are the likely candidates to replace the seven-time, six with the Crimson Tide, national championship-winning coach.

And one of the more prominent minds of the sport and an expert on all things SEC, Paul Finebaum, weighed in with his list of names.

For Finebaum, at least right out of the gate, the list has two names that standout out over the others –Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning and head coach of the Houston Texans DeMeco Ryan. While appearing on ESPN, the mouth of the South explained why he believes Ryans and Lanning are in the mix.

“I think the name you’re going to hear the most is Dan Lanning. Dan Lanning spent some time as a graduate assistant at Alabama before moving over to work with Kirby Smart. I think you’ll hear a couple of other names,” said Finebaum.

“You’ll hear Steve Sarkisian. I don’t know if this is a reality or not, but I think at some point, the DeMeco Ryans’ name is going to be mentioned. It’s unlikely that he would walk away after a masterpiece this year in Houston, but don’t forget, he was an All-American at Alabama and is beloved by that fan base. So I think that’s where you start. Lane Kiffin’s name will be thrown around. I don’t know if that’s something that will come to fruition, but those are the names you will hear the most prominently.”

With both currently occupying head coaching positions elsewhere, Alabama would likely have to open up their pocketbooks to acquire the services of either one of them. Still, with the news of Saban’s retirement still fresh, the program is in the early days of their head coaching hunt. However, fans of the program should not anticipate it taking too long until a new head coach is named at Alabama.

Odds released on next head coach at Alabama

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

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…

For the complete odds rundown, check out this article by On3’s Nick Schultz.