Nick Saban is going to leave Alabama one day. That day might not come for five more years or longer, but eventually, someone is going to have to succeed Saban.

Dabo Swinney, obviously, is the premier candidate to eventually take over the Tide program, but Swinney is building his own powerhouse at Clemson.

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The Swinney to Alabama (eventually) talk has certainly already started, and pundits are weighing in on whether Swinney would leave Clemson.

Recently, The State newspaper caught up with Bobby Bowden and Mark Richt, two former prominent head coaches, and they were asked whether Swinney would make the move eventually.

“Why would you leave Clemson the way things are going right now?” Richt told the paper. “I’d be shocked to see Dabo Swinney anywhere other than Clemson for the rest of his career, to be honest with you.”

That’s the prevailing thought around college football about the subject, too. It’s hard to see Swinney eventually leave Clemson for his alma mater, no matter the love he has for the program.

Alabama native Bobby Bowden echoed Richt’s thoughts, too.

“He’s got that thing going pretty good. And it’ll always be his. It’ll be his,” Bowden said of Swinney. “Not go to Alabama and you’re second to Saban or second to coach Bryant. That’s something Dabo has to decide. It’s natural him being an Alabama graduate, being raised in Alabama, for that kind of talk to come up. It’s strictly conversation.”

Bowden then applied the situation to himself back in his coaching prime.

“I felt like Alabama was Bear Bryant’s and there’s no way Bobby Bowden could overcome that,” Bowden said. “In fact, I wouldn’t even want to overcome it. I felt like I’d always be in his shadow. So anyway, there were a lot of reasons for me not to go back to Alabama.”

Obviously, Saban and Swinney may win multiple national championships between now and when this time comes, but rest assured, Swinney will be forced to give an answer at some point.