Coaching legend Nick Saban retires, putting Alabama's future in question

Saban took over as the Tide's head coach in 2007, leading them to six national titles. He had one of his best coaching performances of his career in 2023, leading a young Alabama team to an SEC title and the College Football Playoff semifinals after a rough start, including a home loss to Texas and an ugly 17-3 win at South Florida.

He finishes his career as a head coach 297-71-1, including a 206-29 record in 17 seasons at Alabama, 26 wins shy of tying the program record set by Bear Bryant (1958-82).

Where do the Tide go from here? ESPN's Pete Thamel shared a list of potential candidates for the job, each a big name with plenty of past experience. 

Oregon's Dan Lanning and Washington's Kalen DeBoer saw their profiles rise this year with strong seasons. However, with Oregon's vast NIL resources and Washington coming off an appearance in the CFP, neither Lanning nor DeBoer are in a position where they need to make a move.

In fact, with the expanded playoff, plenty of candidates would be best off staying in their current role instead of following in Saban's footsteps and dealing with the Tide fan base's unreasonable expectations.

Among the other names mentioned by Thamel include Clemson's Dabo Swinney, an Alabama graduate who turned the Tigers into a national powerhouse but has struggled to keep up in the NIL and transfer portal era, Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman, Florida State's Mike Norvell and Penn State's James Franklin.

Freeman, 38, is one of the top young coaches in college football, and it would certainly be interesting to watch him compete against LSU's Brian Kelly after serving as his defensive coordinator in 2021 with the Irish.

Norvell recently watched his Florida State team get leapfrogged for a spot in the CFP by Alabama and could ensure that doesn't happen to himself again by joining the Tide.

As for Franklin, at least 16 programs (Penn State and the 15 SEC programs not named Alabama) would love nothing more than for him to take the reins. His biggest claim to fame is either going 9-4 in back-to-back seasons at Vanderbilt or routinely getting blown out by Michigan and Ohio State, take your pick.

One name not mentioned who could have an interest in the job is Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin. However, the Rebels have a strong returning roster and have made some big additions via the transfer portal this offseason, including former Texas A&M defensive tackle Walter Nolen and Florida edge Princely Umanmielen. Kiffin has a good thing going in Oxford and might view Saban's retirement as a way for him to finally break through at Ole Miss.

Whatever the program decides, it seems unlikely for Alabama to go the route of an unproven head coach. With a roster expected to compete for a national title in 2024, the Tide can't afford to risk next season on an unknown. 

Following a legend is never easy. Alabama is about to find out how difficult it is.