With Nick Saban shockingly retiring, the big question now for Alabama football is who's going to replace the legendary tactician as their next head coach. Interestingly, there are already a number of names that have popped up and being linked to the job.
Since new of Saban's retirement emerged, a couple of reports have since been released indicating the possible coaches the Crimson Tide could target. Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is expected to be the team's top target to be Saban's replacement, according to Brett McMurphy of Action Network.
Furthermore, Washington's Kalen DeBoer, Clemson's Dabo Swinney, Penn State's James Franklin, Florida State's Mike Norvell and Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman are also among the possible candidates listed out by Pete Thamel of ESPN.
However, targeting the aforementioned coaches will be difficult for the Alabama football program, with Thamel noting that “all come with complications and big buyouts, as it's difficult to move entrenched coaches.”
The Crimson Tide will definitely have a lot of decisions to make as they move forward without Nick Saban. Dan Lanning is an intriguing choice for sure and seems to be a great fit for the role, but will Oregon really let him walk away? The same can be said of all the top coaches that they could target right now.
It will also be interesting to see how the players and Alabama football's recruits will react to the shocking exit of the famed coach, who won six national titles in his legendary career. Sure enough, the next few weeks or months could be hectic for the Crimson Tide.