Some poor musician had to follow the Grateful Dead at Woodstock. An unlucky comedian once had to take the stage right after Richard Pryor. Multiple sitcoms have tried to become the next Seinfeld.

The point is, following a legend is fool’s gold. Somebody, eventually, will discover that at Alabama.

When Nick Saban finally retires — and the 67-year-old legend insists it won’t be any time soon — there will a long line of candidates hoping to become the head man in Tuscaloosa. The perks are obvious: facilities unmatched by few programs, a recruiting machine that would take a major meltdown to slow and the history of being a national power. Oh, and I hear the money won’t be bad, either.

Yet we all know following Saban won’t be easy. Sportsline.com recently posted odds on who Alabama will hire if and when Saban retires:

  • Dabo Swinney: 3/1
  • Kirby Smart: 5/1
  • Lincoln Riley: 5/1
  • Mark Dantonio: 5/1
  • Jeremy Pruitt: 6/1
  • Will Muschamp: 6/1
  • Urban Meyer: 8/1
  • Jimbo Fisher: 8/1
  • Pete Carroll: 10/1
  • Bob Stoops: 15/1

For Swinney, Stoops and Dantonio, their legacy is already set. They’re heading to the College Football Hall of Fame. If they moved to the 205 area code, they would be putting said legacy on the line.

Swinney recently joked with Chris Low that all of this Saban talk is moot because “he ain’t ever going to retire. What’s he going to do? He ain’t going to sit at the lake … or go fishing. … I don’t see him retiring any time soon. He’s got a lot more football ahead.”

Swinney, listed at the favorite at 3/1 in large part because of his deep Alabama ties, has built Clemson into perhaps the top program in college football at this moment, basically taking the best parts of Alabama with him. Sure, he played at Alabama, but what does he earn from going to a place that already has their hero? He has everything he would ever want in Clemson: top-notch facilities, a recruiting base that churns out 5-stars and a schedule that isn’t exactly up to snuff with that of the SEC West.

No matter the success Swinney would have for the Tide — and granted, he would have a lot — there will always be the notion that he is just keeping what Saban built in mint condition. The shadow will always be there. Let’s be honest: To some, Saban still is in Bear Bryant’s shadow, and there were 6 coaches and 25 years between Bryant’s last game and Saban’s first.

That is far from the case at Clemson. Swinney has become the king of the ACC and the Tigers’ roll looks far from ending anytime soon. There’s a reason Paul Finebaum has said he doesn’t think Swinney would want any part of replacing Saban. Now, replacing the guy who replaces Saban is another matter, entirely.

No matter the coach, whether it is a former Saban assistant in Kirby Smart or Jeremy Pruitt or an up-and-comer in Lincoln Riley, the comparisons will be nonstop.

You didn’t bring in the top recruiting class? Saban would have. You didn’t get to the College Football Playoff, let alone win the thing? Nick would have won with that team. The hot seat will become hotter than a July day in Bryant-Denny Stadium if the coach doesn’t win 10 games one year.

The fan base will not accept a step back. I could see a revolt if a guy like Will Muschamp, (somehow set at 6/1), took the reign from the King.

We haven’t even discussed the thought of Urban Meyer (8/1) putting on the houndstooth. He has the credentials, sure, but there will always be the questions about how he left Florida and Ohio State.

In the end, it won’t matter who replaces Saban. Ray Perkins followed Bryant and lasted all of 4 seasons.

They will all face the same challenges as they try to repeat every year what has become an impossible standard under possibly the greatest college football coach in history. It will take some gumption and confidence to step into that role and think you can do better? Every misstep will be viewed under a microscope and each loss, no matter how few, will be blown out of proportion. “That’s not how Nick would have done it.”

The looming shadow of Saban will be bigger than anything these men have faced and it will start even before the next coach says his first word at the introductory press conference.

Is all the pressure worth knowing that, no matter how much success you have and championships you win, your legacy will be as the third-best coach in school history?

That is everything that will face the next man. I’m not quite sure it will be worth it.