Goodman: Life after Nick Saban begins with two major questions
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Goodman: Life after Nick Saban begins with two major questions

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This is an opinion column.

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They rolled Toomer’s Corner on the day Alabama coach Nick Saban retired. Man, I love this beautiful and crazy state.

Auburn respected him. Auburn maybe even admired him. Auburn celebrated like some great and vicious struggle against the universe had finally ended when Saban decided to call it quits.

Here’s the glorious thing about the Iron Bowl, though. The struggle is never over, and Saban’s retirement only elevates our collective cultural psychosis.

The impromptu party by Auburn fans perfectly frames the significance of the rivalry and the importance of the hour. This is the moment that Auburn has been dreaming about for years, and this is also the time when Alabama must make critical decisions to prevent falling behind. On the day after Saban announced his retirement, there are two critical questions at hand.

One, how is Auburn going to take advantage of the situation while Alabama is vulnerable?

And the second, who’s next in Tuscaloosa?

Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne was hired with this day in mind. Locking in the perfect replacement for Saban will be a career-defining decision for Byrne. Doing it quickly will help prevent Alabama from falling behind its instate rival and other teams in the SEC. Auburn has the most gain by Saban’s exit, but others are now looking to get ahead at Alabama’s expense, too.

The power vacuum will be like a shark-infested tornado inside a hurricane riding a king tide.

With chum in the water, let’s start with Auburn’s plan of action on Saban Retirement Day plus-one. Beginning his second year at Auburn, coach Hugh Freeze is suddenly in the perfect position to reestablish the Tigers as an SEC power. Now is the time to make his move.

It goes without saying that Freeze took the Auburn job knowing that this day would come. Auburn finished 6-7 this past season, but the Tigers played well against Georgia and Alabama. Momentum was already building on the Plains, but Freeze’s tireless work ethic can now truly begin to pay off and tip the scales of the Iron Bowl.

Saban’s retirement is a major victory for Auburn no matter who Alabama hires.

Even at 72 years old, Saban was the ultimate recruiter. In the history of the game there was no one better. Recruiting was Saban’s super power. Freeze was never far behind, though, and he was smartly laying the groundwork for this day. Let the poaching begin.

Freeze’s first test with Saban out of the picture will be securing a commitment from receiver Ryan Williams, who is the two-time Alabama Gatorade player of the year. Williams decommitted from Alabama in the aftermath of Saban’s retirement news. If Freeze doesn’t add Williams to Auburn’s already impressive 2024 recruiting class, then I’d be surprised and it would be a missed opportunity for the Tigers.

Freeze isn’t going to stop at Williams, though. Auburn’s coach is in the market for a new defensive coordinator. Hiring Alabama cornerbacks coach Travaris Robinson for that position is the natural move. Robinson is an Auburn grad who is from talent-rich South Florida. Alabama defenders love Robinson and earlier in the week many wanted him to be named Saban’s next defensive coordinator after the retirement of Kevin Steele.

If Freeze hires Robinson, the previously unthinkable would be on the table. Players from Alabama might transfer to Auburn.

The Iron Bowl rivalry never sleeps, and Freeze probably won’t either between now and National Signing (Feb.7).

While Freeze is trying to steal Alabama’s recruits and possibly players and coaches, too, it falls to Byrne, Alabama’s athletics director, to secure the program with decisive action. Expect a hire by Byrne before Friday afternoon. If Alabama still doesn’t have a football coach by the weekend, then Alabama football will officially be in crisis mode.

Who’s the next coach of Alabama? It’s the biggest question facing college football in a generation. Here are some things to consider.

Let’s start with who’s not getting the job and go from there. As much as Auburn fans want to wish it into existence, Byrne will not be taking any phone calls from Idaho man Bryan Harsin.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney? Also unlikely to be seriously considered. Swinney’s ability as a coach in the NIL era is in question, and he’s also probably too connected to the past at Alabama. The UA Board of Trustees learned the hard way with Mike DuBose that hiring a legacy coach from a bygone era of Alabama football is like walking backwards in time.

Lane Kiffin? That’s a hard swipe left. While Kiffin is a great coach, let’s just say that he doesn’t fit the profile for buttoned-up Alabama.

Coach Prime? A kid can dream, but no.

Kirby Smart isn’t leaving his empire at Georgia, and Dan Lanning, while attractive, has stated emphatically that he’s staying put at Oregon. Until Lanning gives me a reason to believe otherwise, I’ll have to take him at his word on that one. DeMeco Ryans would be a great hire, but leaving the Houston Texans to follow Saban at Alabama seems doubtful.

Here are three names to consider, and I’ll save my pick for last.

There was a time when Texas tried to steal Saban away from Alabama. With the Longhorns joining the SEC this year, Alabama hiring away Sark would be the type of power move I’d expect from Byrne. The dynamics in the SEC are shifting in 2024, and Sark is familiar with Alabama, the western side of the new-look conference and the West Coast.

Another coach to consider is Washington’s Kalen DeBoer. Washington knocked off Oregon twice last season and defeated Texas in the College Football Playoff. Saban tried to hire DeBoer’s offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb, last year, but Grubb decided to stay with DeBoer. That says a lot about DeBoer’s ability as a coach. The downside with DeBoer is that he’s not familiar with recruiting in SEC country.

Want drama? Crave chaos? There’s one name above all the rest, and he just went undefeated against the SEC last season. Florida State thought it was robbed by Alabama with the playoff snub, but what if FSU coach Mike Norvell is next?

Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the most controversial sports book ever written, “We Want Bama”. It’s a love story about wild times, togetherness and rum.