Nick Saban Retires: Who Will Be Alabama’s Next Football Coach? Lanning, Kiffin, Sarkisian Sit Atop Odds

In the aftermath of Michigan defeating Washington in Monday night’s College Football Playoff National Championship, a hot topic was the future of Jim Harbaugh, who seems destined for a return to the NFL. However, any Harbaugh headlines were soundly shoved into the background on Wednesday evening with the news of the retirement of longtime Alabama head coach Nick Saban, considered by many to be the greatest coach in college football history.

While the Saban retirement news is certainly stunning, a 72-year-old coach retiring can’t be considered a major surprise.

After the Crimson Tide went down in the CFP semifinals to the Wolverines, many might have hoped to see Saban take one more crack at adding to the six national championships he won in his tenure in Tuscaloosa.

Instead, Alabama’s 27-20 overtime loss in last week’s Rose Bowl will be the final game for Saban, who hangs it up with an official record of 292-71-1 between his stops at Toledo, Michigan State, LSU, and Alabama.

Saban’s decision to ride off into the sunset leaves a big hole in college football. It also sets up the potential for some major dominoes to fall, whether or not Harbaugh elects to leave Ann Arbor.

Even if the former 49ers head coach opts for Las Vegas, Los Angeles, or elsewhere, it seems unlikely that Alabama and Michigan will be choosing from the same pool of candidates unless someone makes a move like LSU’s hire of Brian Kelly in November 2021.

For now, only one of those jobs is open. But who will fill it? The list of potential top candidates features a number of coaches who have some sort of tie to Alabama, with Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, a former graduate assistant at Alabama, as the oddsmakers’ firm favorite to take over in Tuscaloosa.

Next Alabama Football Head Coach Odds

Odds are courtesy of BetOnline. If you’re interested in trying them out, we recommend checking out our BetOnline review.

• Dan Lanning, Oregon head coach -130
• Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss head coach +450
• Steve Sarkisian, Texas head coach +900
• Mike Norvell, Florida State head coach +1000
• Dabo Swinney, Clemson head coach +1000
• Kalen DeBoer, University of Washington head coach +1200
• Urban Meyer, former Florida and Ohio State head coach +1600
• Glenn Schumann, Georgia defensive coordinator +1600
• Pat Shurmur, Colorado co- offensive coordinator +2000
• Billy Napier, Florida head coach +2000
• Derek Dooley, Alabama offensive analyst +2000
• Demeco Ryans, Houston Texans head coach +2500

Who Are the Favorites to Be Alabama’s Next Football Coach?

Dan Lanning, Oregon (-130)

Lanning served as a GA at Alabama in 2015, then spent two seasons as an assistant on Mike Norvell’s staff at Memphis and four on Kirby Smart’s staff at Georgia, the final three as defensive coordinator, before taking the Oregon job in December 2021.

Though the Ducks have fallen short of a Pac-12 title or the CFP, hiring a first-time head coach has paid off. Lanning is 22-5 in his two seasons in Eugene, and in the recently concluded season, Oregon went 12-2, throttled Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl, and finished seventh in the final AP poll.

If rumors are to be believed, Lanning is already in Tuscaloosa. Even if he isn’t, the 37-year-old looks like a worthy favorite. But does he want to deal with the pressure of replacing a legend? We’ll find out soon enough.

Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss (+450)

After being fired by USC in 2013, Kiffin served as Alabama’s offensive coordinator from 2014 to 2016 before Florida Atlantic came calling.

Kiffin went 26-13 and won two Conference USA titles in three seasons before leaving for Ole Miss, where he has built one of the SEC’s best offenses. In four seasons there, he is 34-15 and has led the Rebels to two New Year’s Six bowls.

This past season, Ole Miss went 11-2, won the Peach Bowl, and finished ninth in the final AP poll.

While Kiffin may be getting a lot of love from oddsmakers, this doesn’t seem nearly as likely as other possibilities.

With QB Jaxson Dart returning and an impressive transfer portal haul coming in, the Rebels could be a preseason top-10 team and will be expected to make a serious run at a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff next season. Also, Kiffin might not want to follow a titan of the sport.

Now, if the Florida job comes open next season…

Steve Sarkisian, Texas (+900)

Like Kiffin, Sarkisian has former USC offensive coordinator, former USC head coach, and former Alabama offensive coordinator on his resume.

Also, like Kiffin, Sarkisian was fired at USC during the season. However, his exit had more to do with serious personal issues at the time than performance, as was the case with Kiffin.

Spending the 2016 season as an offensive analyst at Alabama served as part of Sarkisian’s professional turnaround, and he returned to Tuscaloosa as offensive coordinator in January 2019 after two seasons in the same position for the Atlanta Falcons.

He was hired by Texas in January 2021, and after going 13-12 in his first two seasons in Austin, he led the Longhorns to a 12-2 record, the Big 12 title, and a CFP semifinal berth this past season.

Will Sarkisian stay with what he is building at Texas? He feels like the most viable option behind Lanning, but he also has a good thing where he is. And while his current job is certainly not pressure-free, replacing Saban could be an undesired level of pressure.

Looking to learn more about the ins and outs of betting on NCAA football? Check out our college football betting guide.