When Nick Saban retired on Jan. 10, Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne asked players to give him 72 hours to find a new football coach. He landed on former Washington coach Kalen DeBoer, who started spring practice with the Crimson Tide for the first time on Monday.

According to a new report from ESPN, there were other candidates for the job. The report states that Florida State head coach Mike Norvell was a major player for the Alabama job.

Norvell was mentioned in media reports during the search as a possible Saban replacement. He led the Seminoles through an undefeated regular season, though FSU was controversially left out of the College Football Playoff in favor of Alabama.

Florida State ended up signing Norvell to a contract extension, and he stayed in Tallahassee. According to the ESPN report, had he left for the Alabama job, as FSU officials thought he might, Lane Kiffin would have been a candidate for the Seminoles.

The Ole Miss coach and former Crimson Tide offensive coordinator was linked to the Alabama job for years, including during the search. However, according to ESPN, he was never a serious candidate after Saban’s retirement.

Neither was Clemson coach Dabo Swinney. Clemson was one of college football’s powers with the former Crimson Tide player in charge, during Saban’s tenure, but the Tigers have regressed in recent seasons.

The ESPN report also stated that Crimson Tide brass knew Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, another former Alabama offensive coordinator who was linked to the job, was not going to leave Austin. Sarkisian and the Longhorns beat Alabama last season and are entering the SEC in 2024.

According to the report, DeBoer was one of Byrne’s top candidates from the beginning. He led the Huskies to a national championship game appearance last season.

DeBoer accepted the job and was announced as Alabama’s head coach on Jan. 12. He was introduced at Bryant-Denny Stadium the next day and got to work, building his staff and figuring out what Alabama’s roster will look like in 2024.

The Crimson Tide is scheduled to continue spring practice Wednesday. Spring ball will concluded April 13, with the A-Day game at Bryant-Denny Stadium.