Paul Finebaum has had a front-row seat to Alabama’s ascension to the top of the college football hierarchy over the past decade-and-a-half.

Nick Saban’s impact on the sport will be felt for years to come. And while it’s tough to imagine the Alabama sideline without him, he’ll be turning 71 on October 31 and, eventually, retirement will become a serious consideration.

But who will take the reins of the program once Saban steps aside? Could it be Lane Kiffin, who’s hoping to challenge his former boss’s dominance while at the helm of Ole Miss? Finebaum discussed it on his weekly appearance with Cole Cubelic and Greg McElroy on WJOX in Birmingham, and mentioned that it might come down to Kiffin’s unwillingness to wait for Saban to depart.

“I think it would be dangerous for Lane Kiffin to gamble on when Nick Saban is going to retire,” he said on Monday, according to On3. “And also, unless someone could guarantee him that job, I don’t think anyone could guarantee him that. I think Lane Kiffin would be an attractive candidate, but I don’t think Lane Kiffin is really a patient person and I have a hard time believing that he would sit around waiting for Nick Saban to determine what’s next, unless Nick Saban said, ‘Lane, this is my last year.'”

Whoever takes over for Saban will have massive shoes to fill. Of course, when he calls it a career is an entirely different story.