Tailgate Talk: Who should take over at Alabama when Nick Saban retires?
Nick Saban (and journalists chronicling him) faced two inevitable questions when Alabama won a fourth national championship under his care in January.
Is he the greatest college football coach of all-time? And how long will he keep going?
The former remains debatable. Any comparison to, say, Bear Bryant is apples to oranges.
As far as the latter, most of us have no idea. It seems like we’ve finally moved past the silly annual “will Nick Saban bolt for the NFL or Texas” rumor mongering. Nick Saban will turn 65 in 2016, and is reaching an age where it doesn’t make much sense for a new school or franchise to hire him.
But unlike Bobby Bowden, Joe Paterno and Steve Spurrier — recent legendary coaches who eventually lost their fastball — Saban never lets up, in any facet of his job. He’s half robot, half human, it seems sometimes.
It’s still in the back of everyone’s mind, but Alabama fans have to start wondering soon: Who will eventually replace Saban? And how long will this nearly unprecedented run last?
“I’ve been a part of a team since I was nine years old. It scares me to ever think of the day when I wouldn’t be a part of the team,” Saban said following last season.
“The feeling that you get being associated with a group like this makes you want to do it more. That’s kind of how I feel about it. I know you can’t do this forever, but I certainly enjoy the moment and certainly look forward to the future challenges that we have and really have no timetable for ever not being a part of a team.”
The Alabama coach is too smart to offer recruiting rivals a hint of when he may retire, lest they use it as ammo in the living room of high school prospects. He also doesn’t seem like a narrative guy, waiting for the perfect storybook ending to ride off into the sunset.
It seems like Saban will coach until the frustrations of unrealistic expectations and the heavy burden of the job overtakes the desire to be at the wheel of an important ship and to attack the constant stream of challenges.
One of these years, Saban is just going to say that he’s had enough, and that it’s someone else’s turn. Whether that’s next year or 10 years from now remains to be seen, but it seems unfathomable that Saban could continue at this rate into his 70s with a job as demanding as Alabama’s.
For a long time, it seemed like Kirby Smart was a potential successor, given that he remained Saban’s right-hand man nearly from the time he arrived in Tuscaloosa in 2007 through 2015. But now Smart coaches at Georgia.
Former Alabama receiver Dabo Swinney, who coached Clemson to the national championship game this year, also seems like a potential candidate that has drawn attention. But he already has the Tigers competing for titles and doesn’t need a new school for that.
Some of the game’s best coaches, guys like Mark Dantonio, will be well into their 60s if Saban holds on for much longer. It’s likely that we can’t foresee some of the best candidates, and when Saban retires is even more difficult to project. But certainly it’s an interesting idea to explore.
WHO SHOULD TAKE OVER AT ALABAMA WHEN NICK SABAN RETIRES?
Chris Wright (@filmroomeditor): Mark Dantonio or Lane Kiffin
Depends on when he retires. If he retires within the next two years, I’d call Dabo, but I’d be just as interested in Mark Dantonio, maybe more so. The trick for Dabo is to see if he can keep it going (especially after Deshaun leaves), which is something entirely different and far more difficult than getting it going.
If Saban retires in 3-5 years and Lane Kiffin hasn’t bolted, then I’d turn it over to Kiffin, who has done wonders on offense since his arrival and you figure will have added another national title or two by then.
John Brasier (@john_brasiersds): Urban Meyer, Jimbo Fisher, Pete Carroll or Mark Dantonio
I would go for the best available game coach and CEO. Someone with an Alabama background is a plus, but Nick Saban’s done just fine without it. At Alabama’s level, a head coach with unchallenged status and respect is just as good as a fabulous personality or recruiter.
Yes, times have changed. But Bear Bryant didn’t get down and boogie after victories. Nick Saban does the minimum celebrating with his players.
The next Alabama coach doesn’t have to be young and personable — he can get top young assistants to do that. But he needs to be someone who can handle the pressures and endless responsibilities that go along with the position. An Alabama coach only has to close with recruits — his assistants can handle most of the heavy lifting. If the head coach keeps Alabama on top, the recruits will keep signing.
Kirby Smart is unproven as a head coach. Dabo Swinney played at Alabama, but he just doesn’t fit the classic Bryant, Gene Stallings, Saban mold.
Of today’s present head coaches, I would opt for Urban Meyer, Jimbo Fisher, Pete Carroll or Mark Dantonio. Swinney would be a solid choice, but his social views and potential gaffes could get him in trouble. At Clemson, he doesn’t have those type of worries. Smart needs to win a national title at Georgia to be considered.
Tom Brew (@tombrewsports): Dabo Swinney
That’s a difficult question to answer without a time-frame attached to it. Nick Saban will be 65 in October, but he’s showing no signs of slowing down and his team’s are winning at a record pace. Say he decides to coach until he’s 70; that’s five years from now. So if it’s 2021, who knows?
Lane Kiffin might be mature enough then to no longer be the boy wonder, but I doubt if the stuff-shirts at Bama would ever go there. Kirby Smart, five years from now, would be interesting, but here’s the Catch-22. If he has great success at Georgia — which means at least PLAYING for a national championship, he might not want to leave his alma mater. Being an alum matters.
And that takes us to Dabo Swinney. Yes, he’s doing great things at Clemson and they love him there, but he’ll always be the guy who would want to come home to Alabama. He’d be the guy.
Sick Naban will replace him
AUFan: What a hilarious response. Leave it to those auburn fans to come up with the incredible postings. Now go milk your cow.
Oh please, let them hire Kiffin, please, please, please.
They would still beat MSU….
^^^^ Could not be more accurate. People don’t realize while Kiffin might come off as an @$$ he is one heck of a coach.
REALLY???? He’s one heck of a coach,….. he has only Failed at EVERY head coaching job he has ever had. Raiders = Failed Tennessee = Failed and got us in trouble with the NCAA, VERY FEW of his recruits made it to junior season, USC = Failed Great OC but head coach LOLOL
He can coach, but I doubt Kiffin will last Saban’s reign- Dabo is the man to replace Saban. From Bama, walk on, earned scholarship… Dabo has had a interesting/hard life. Read about him.
Chattvols, all the teams you mentioned where Kiffin has been a head coach have continued to struggle without him so I don’t think it can be called a failure on his part. Sure, he wasn’t able to turn them around but we’re still waiting for all of those teams to get back on track. Having worked with Saban for years could help him get to a point where he’s better.
Alatide, I dont disagree with you 100% but all the teams he was a head coach at never improved either. Teams bring in a new head coach because the program is in need of improvement. I do believe the Saban has helped Kiffin but he is NOT Saban and I dont think he will make it as a head coach. He was at USC for 3+ years and they didnt improve and USC had talent.
I don’t think so, great offensive coach, took him a while to learn how to use a running back. Not really killing it at developing qbs, either, i.e. USC qb ‘competition’. The program would take a step back, he’s not a head coach, not yet. He’s proven that, and I honestly don’t think he will be a stellar one when he gets a second, sorry third, shot. I don’t really expect either of you to admit it, but given a timespan of two to four years, Kiffin will be far from the best choice.
55 is right. Let kiffin go be coordinator at Kentucky before we say hes ready again.
I don’t think kiffen will ever be a good HC but It doesn’t take a great one to beat MSU.
THEY WOULD STILL KICK MISS. ASS
If Dabo is still around and having success at Clemson when Saban steps down he will be the replacement.
I grew up in Alabama, went to school at Bama when Coach Bryant was in charge, and am a life-long Roll-Tider. As much as I respect the SDS commentators, you have no idea how we Bama faithful see the world. Simply put, DABO SWINNEY is the only coach we would consider if Saban leaves in the next few years. He has the roots here, family here, and is a superstar winner. Kiffin? We love Lane, but no way. He’s gone next year, and needs many years of success to make it here. Admittedly, Dabo may decide to stay forever at Clemson — we aren’t too arrogant to understand that. But I know his roots (he went to High School 8 miles from my home), and it will be a very strong pull. We learned with the Saban hire that at Bama we will only hire coaches who have won on the big stage, and few active coaches have done that. This isn’t an experimental job; this is the biggest of the big time.
A few other notes: Dantonio, Meyer, and Carroll are at their final resting place. The will never leave. The only other option I could see would be Jimbo Fisher, who has tenuous Alabama ties, but despite what some supposed Bama faithful will say, we are all-in for Dabo.
Alabama would hire Meyer in a heartbeat, though he might not want that pressure.
You have no idea what Bama would do. I don’t think Bama would even consider Meyer because of how he left florida.
I imagine I have just as good an idea as any Bama FAN. You do have a point about Meyer’s abrupt departure, but I would expect the shoddy discipline that became the trademark of his time at UF would be a bigger factor. There is also his relationship with Foley.
If Smart is successful at Georgia..then it should be between him and Dabo. Imagine that! Do you go with Smart, from the Saban and Belicheck coaching tree? Or do you go with Dabo, who is from the Stallings and Bryant coaching tree? Quite the conundrum!
Mark Dantonio may retire before saban and will definitely not be hired for just a few years. Stop reaching for material and putting out uneducated material.
Everyone knows Dabo will come to Bama if it opens up. Kiffin may find a way to earn the job but it’l be down the line and he will have to have HC success.
It all depends on who is hot when Saban decides to leave. If Dabo or McElwain or even Kiffin (provided he leaves) wins a NC…. that will be the one. If Smart does well at Georgia I I doubt he would leave.
Some of the names listed may not be interested in following Saban.
The only Coach that comes quickly to mind that succeafully followed a legend was Tom Osborne at Nebraska.
Even with his record, Les Miles stayes on the hot seat.
Holly Warlick is 100-28 at Tennessee and more and more fans are starting to call for her head, because she is not Pat Summitt.
Sometimes it is better to be the coach after the coch after the coach.
Agreed. THIS is the reason that we shouldn’t automatically assume that Dabo Swinney would jump to Alabama. Following a legend is always a challenge, especially when the only direction one can go is down. Frank Solich was quite successful following Tom Osborne at Nebraska, but he still got fired after a 9-3 season. Would Dabo risk his fantastic career arc by going to a school where 9 or 10 wins a year just isn’t goint to cut it? Jimbo Fisher has been exceptionally successful following Bobby Bowden at Florida State, but everyone knew he had some rebuilding to do as their program had slipped into mediocrity between 2004 & 2009, so he at least was granted a honeymoon period.
To be sure, there’s pressure to win at Clemson, but at Alabama that pressure is just off the charts. What is more, Dabo has deep roots in Clemson (13 years now) & has built it into a recruiting juggernaut that shows no signs of slowing down. And let’s not forget that Dabo played at Alabama while Bill Curry was head coach & coached there on Mike DuBose’s staff (not a glorious period in Crimson Tide history), so he knows first-hand how nasty some fans can be when things aren’t going their way.
Jimbo Fisher? Urban Meyer? Pete Carroll? Who in their right mind would ever believe that? Not in a million years. Dabo, Smart and Kiffin are all names that could be in the hat. Jeremy Pruitt, the new DC, could be a candidate by the time Saban leaves. However, it’s impossible to predict when Saban will leave and who will be the big names in coaching when that happens.
Saban will become AD at bama when he’s finished coaching. He’ll probably hire somebody that sucks so that nobody will ever come close to his legend status there.
Kirby Smart really should have stayed at Alabama. In the “long run” it would have been the better financial decision. That said, he’s still a rich man and will become considerably wealthier even if he tanks at Georgia.
He was the natural “heir” to Saban,.. For Alabama it may be a blessing he is now at Georgia if he doesn’t do well — If he DOES do well, it puts Smart on the quick list of a future offer for more money than whatever Georgia pays him. But what incentive does he have to leave in that circumstance. All I could see is that he knows Alabama, he knows how the “people in control” handle things — If Georgia is not handled “as well” he may be tempted to take an offer 4-6 years down the line..
Otherwise — Dabo is a natural choice,.. but Saban isn’t going to retire for at least 4 more seasons,.. which gives us all an opportunity to see what Dabo can do with a “Deshaun Watsonless” Clemson. Dabo might still be on the short list irregardless though.
Kiffin is high risk as a HC. Kiffin’s best career move was to come to Alabama.. by a MILE. His best move would be to STAY at Alabama and learn learn learn under the end of Saban’s career (He’ll be the last to get knowledge from one of the best (if not the best) on how to be a HC).
People give Kiffin a tough time,.. he has a bad reputation/record as a HC. Though he’s done a 180 in big part due to Nick Saban,. Kiffin is a super bright guy,.. he has to learn the rest of the “job” that goes into being a Head coach.. some of which he’s learned already in the 2 years at Alabama. Again, if he wants to have a good shot at being the HC at the best spot in college football with a pile of recruits at his disposal.. he’ll stick at Alabama as OC (while adding other duties/roles in as time goes on) to be “groomed” as Saban’s replacement. An internal move from someone who has 5+ years at the program is generally smooth. Saban teaches / grooms/ makes Head coaches like no other guy I’ve ever seen. His assistants who have gone out have nearly all been quite successful.. which says a lot about what the guy does for his staff.
Lastly, people give Saban a tough rap as well for being this machine, no personality, evil, joyless person. However, think of what he’s done for SO many people’s lives? All these players he’s developed in so many ways,.. their career trajectory — All these coaches he doesn’t hold back who go on .. He’s, imho, nothing short of an anomaly of a Head Coach/person.. sort of a once or two in a lifetime type of Coach. He’s also having some of those edges smoothed out as he loosens up with age, and I think finally settling his internal conflict of finally being SETTLED for good somewhere, where he feels comfortable, and is given 100% control, The University of Alabama.
One thing is definite: No one will be able to fill Nick Saban’s shoes — So any expectations of that are just, frankly, unrealistic.
Agreed couldn’t have said it better
I’d actually love for them to give Sylvester Croom another chance at coaching. I liked him and truly think he’s a good, hard working coach. He deserves to have a positive head coaching experience at a program that doesn’t suck.
Croom was a great person…
Why do you think we sucked. Sherrill actually did leave players behind, Croom couldn’t win. He failed to bring in OL, of all things, got three qbs hurt in one season (one of them twice, because they let him play with a poorly healed collar bone). His players had more arrests than wins during his tenure (you can look that up, it’s not hyperbole. The guy was not a HEAD coach. I will admit, even losing he managed to recruit a few great players (Dixon is an example) but the bulk of the best players while he was there were either left from Sherrill’s staff or recruited by Ellis Johnson (Mullen even benefitted from some of those). It’s criminal what how banged up he allowed Norwood to get, ultimately killed his pro career. By all means, let Bama rehire him.
I would hope Kirby smart would come back to Bama. As for Kiffen. HELL NO!! I don’t expect Kirby to be a national champ at Georgia . The people over him are dumb asses. Hell they done got rid of a great coach there. Cause he couldn’t beat Saban. But get in line who can. He won’t be Kirby. Saban is 9-0 against former assistants for a reason. Dabo I don’t think he can do anything without Watson as qb. I don’t want an offensive coach deffently on the defensive side. But as of now nobody will every replace Saban. I see him coaching at least 5-10 more years. Or when he has bear Bryant’s championship record beat. Just what I think
Hey look at me …Ole Miss fluke beat me 2 years n a row…touchdown off a helmet..blah blah blah.We r doofus rednecks…I love my cuzn…did I say that,or think that…I got a g g ggoood brain…Bama sux…The only game that counts between us is the last game…how’d that go HOMEboys.…
The more I read people’s comments about who will succeed and who will fail I kind of laugh. It is very hard to imagine anyone that is a competent HC failing at Bama. I mean Saban has built the brand into a massive recruiting advantage. Bama fans themselves say all they have to do is walk in the door. The boosters throw inordinate amounts of money into the program and back the staff. Tht being said I think that a lot of the less intelligent fanbase will consider everyone who replaces Saban a failure simply because no one will ever do what Saban has done. There will never be another Saban and you would be asinine to think otherwise. So while I don’t think that anyone will fail at Bama (even Kiffin) I don’t think that anyone will ever succeed enough to keep the fanbase (unintelligent fans) happy enough to keep a long tenure. I foresee a pretty regular rotation of head coaches.
Right…because Bama has never had to replace a great coach before….
Not my argument. I’m simply saying I think it will be very hard for any coach to follow Saban.
Gene Stallings was the only coach to last more than 3 years between Bryant and Saban. All of which except Shula had winning records.
Except sanctions is what caused some of the coaches to be fired and some left on their on. You can’t honestly say Bama ran off their coach because they didn’t live up to the bear….
Shula lasted 4 seasons.
So did Ray Perkins.
Actually, Saban will never retire because he’s actually a Synth and therefore never truly ages. Fallout 4 references aside, Dabo Swinney will hands down be our number one choice, unless he somehow stops being successful. Any Alabama fan can tell you that. I highly doubt Alabama would pass up a chance for him to be Saban’s successor. He’s a great coach, still relatively young, and he played at Alabama on our 1992 National Championship team under Gene Stallings. But there’s still the chance that, despite being an Alabama alum, he might not want to leave because of his established success. If McElwain keeps doing good and if Smart does good, then one of them will probably be our number two. But I highly doubt Smart will ever voluntarily leave Georgia. Our number three could very well be Jimbo Fisher, assuming he stays successful. And then I guess that our number four would be Bear Bryant’s ghost. But only time will tell what we do.
Everyone is focusing on who will be the hot coach when Saban retires, but the real question may be who the AD is at that time. Bill Battle is in his mid-70s and incredibly wealthy (he founded the company that licenses college sports merchandise and sold it for $100 million) so he’s clearly keeping the seat warm for whomever the long-term solution is. If it’s Ozzie Newsome as many at Alabama want, then in addition to the usual college suspects there may be some NFL names to add to the list. If it’s someone else, then there could be some other wildcards thrown into the mix. Will be interesting to see when it happens.
get chuckie back into the game. Period!
Not Dabo…he’s a Stallings guy. Without Watson he wouldn’t have been anywhere near the Championship game. Not D’Antonio. Good coach but not as evolved as Nick. Kirby Smart would get my vote. Lane Kiffin might get my vote if he shows some maturity and self-discipline in the next few years.