The questions we have as Nick Saban retires, replacement search begins
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The questions we have as Nick Saban retires, replacement search begins

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It happened.

Nick Saban is now the former Alabama football coach after his orbit-rattling retirement Wednesday afternoon. Equal parts shocking and expected, the move has ripple effects on ripple effects with Tuscaloosa at the epicenter.

For the first time in six national titles, the Crimson Tide is looking for a new head football coach.

In his wake, Saban leaves so many questions — many of them predictable and standard. Yet given the status of the retiree, each of these issues feels heightened.

So, let’s take these one at a time.

The questions we have as Saban rides off into the sunset.

The question. The list of potential candidates has ebbed and flowed over the years of speculation about Saban’s retirement. At this point, it’s almost all speculation. The names out there are for entertainment purposes, essentially.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning is a hot name given his rise in the coaching world and experience as an analyst on the Alabama staff. Stay tuned.

That could be the inside-baseball question of the day. Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne already released a statement about the search. From the tone of it, he will be the one in charge. How many cooks enter the kitchen will be something to watch.

The Saban era in Tuscaloosa has been marked by relatively little alumni/booster meddling that’s plagued rivals.

Will a power vacuum form in his absence?

Does Saban get a say in who succeeds him?

Byrne appeared to be a one-man search committee when hiring Nate Oats to lead the men’s basketball program in 2019 but this is a different animal. This is a career-defining moment for everyone involved.

It took more than a month for Alabama to hire Saban after Mike Shula was fired. While celebrated now, the search was kind of a mess that worked to perfection.

Alabama doesn’t have anywhere close to that much time in this cycle.

A report from 247Sports cited sources inside the Wednesday meeting with Alabama players that gave a timeline. The story said players were told the school “hoped to have its next head coach in place in the next 72 hours, according to sources.”

This is already a time of extraordinary roster turnover. Between the NFL draft and transfer portal, Alabama had already lost well over two dozen players from the 2023 team.

Though the portal closed Saturday for underclassmen, Saban’s retirement will reopen it. NCAA rules call for another 30-day portal opening should players want to exit amid the change in leadership.

Well, five-star receiver Ryan Williams decommitted from Alabama within an hour of Saban’s retirement going public.

A new rule for the 2023-24 recruiting cycle allows for players to get a release from their National Letter of Intent if the head coach leaves the program. Entering the day, Alabama had the No. 2 recruiting class in the 247Sports composite.

Dominos, it’s safe to assume, will be falling in the days to come.

That’s obviously up to whoever is hired for the top job but there are almost always a few coaches who are retained for continuity.

There were already three openings, notably at defensive coordinator after Kevin Steele reportedly retired Tuesday. Vacancies also exist coaching the receivers and outside linebackers.

It’s unclear if there’s any event or news conference to come for Saban. He’s never liked having the attention fully on him so, while a ticker-tape parade would draw a healthy percentage of the state’s population, such a celebration would feel unlikely. It would also draw attention away from the next head coach, as Saban would likely reason.

In the years to come, it’ll be interesting to see what gets named in Saban’s honor around the Alabama campus and Tuscaloosa.

Great question. There are so many sub-questions related to retirement, the timing, what tipped the scales, etc.

So many questions.

For so long, when asked about retirement, Saban said he wasn’t sure how he’d handle not being a part of a team. He’s been either a player or coach his entire life. What would he do without that dynamic?

Saban’s been a frequent guest on ESPN programming and the network’s past interest in his services has been well-documented. A television role would offer a softer landing as opposed to shipping off to the Lake Burton house — the equivalent of pulling the emergency brake at full speed on the Ferrari he now drives.

This is just an initial list. There’s so much more to come, questions and answers. Stay tuned.

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.