Alabama had only 2 coaches in mind to replace Nick Saban: report
Right after Nick Saban announced his bombshell decision to step away from college football for good, Alabama went into search mode to locate his replacement, ultimately choosing Kalen DeBoer to lead the football program, but that search was narrowed down to just two finalists from the outset.
Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne had only DeBoer and one other name in mind for the head coaching position, the other being current Florida State head coach Mike Norvell, according to ESPN.
Norvell elected to stay with the Seminoles, and the school ultimately signed him to a lucrative contract extension, but he did speak with Byrne on Jan. 11, the day after Saban announced his retirement.
The shock of Saban leaving college football was met with rampant speculation about who Alabama would consider for the job, and what coaches would take the position.
Reports initially connected several other figures to the Crimson Tide, including current Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, and Clemson coach Dabo Swinney in particular, given the latter's connection to the school as a former Alabama player on Gene Stallings' 1992 national championship team.
But ultimately, Alabama was down to two genuine contenders from the outset, and finally chose DeBoer to succeed Saban and take the Tide into the future.
(ESPN)
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