The college football world was turned upside down when a bombshell report came out yesterday. This report indicated that legendary Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban would retire after 17 years with the program. Now, the focus is on finding Saban’s replacement.
There have been plenty of big names linked to Alabama. One has already been ruled out. However, one college football analyst voiced his opinion on two other big candidates.
Greg McElroy Rules Out Two Big Names
Greg McElroy, who used to be an Alabama quarterback, is now a college football analyst for ESPN. Recently, he was asked about the chances of certain big names taking over the Alabama head coach position. So far, he has been on the ball.
That is because McElroy did not believe that Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning would leave Oregon for Alabama the way certain fans did. A report has come out since then indicating that Lanning will indeed remain with Oregon. So, McElroy has established some credibility on this subject.
McElroy was asked about two other big names. Those names are Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney and Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin. His exact quote on each of their chances of taking the Alabama job was:
“Zero-percent chance.” -Greg McElroy
The Case for Dabo Swinney and Lane Kiffin
Both of these men are very accomplished college football coaches. Plus, both Swinney and Kiffin have ties to Alabama. So, it makes sense why both are in the running.
Swinney has arguably led one of the biggest dynasties in college football outside of Nick Saban and Alabama. Since 2009, Swinney has been the head coach of the Clemson Tigers. Clemson won two national championships against Alabama during Swinney’s tenure.
If that was not enough, Swinney has Alabama roots. He was a wide receiver at Alabama for three years and a member of the Alabama coaching staff the following eight years from 1993-2000.
As for Kiffin, he worked directly under Saban at one point. From 2014-16, Kiffin was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Alabama. Now, he has been the head coach of Ole Miss for the last four seasons. He is coming off of a Peach Bowl victory with the Rebels.
Other Big Names
So, if not Swinney or Kiffin, who should we keep an eye on? In the college football world, Kalen DeBoer may be a name to watch. He is coming off of his best season with Washington, taking them to a national championship.
However, McElroy did point out one underrated candidate. That candidate is Bill O’Brien. The case here is that he was the Alabama offensive coordinator under Nick Saban from 2021-22. Plus, he took the Penn State program out of a dark place in 2012 and was the coach of the Houston Texans from 2014-20. We will have to wait and see if McElroy is onto something here.
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