A coach at a Power Four college football program is considered the only future replacement for Kalen DeBoer at Alabama.
Turmoil overtook the college football world in the form of the 2025-2026 coaching carousel. 34 different head coaching vacancies opened up between September and February at the FBS level. Six different SEC schools participated in the cycle; five of them fired coaches between September and November, while the other one promoted from within due to its coach leaving for a vacancy in the conference.
Slower cycles generally follow in the years after busy ones, although some SEC teams still express discontent with their current head coaches. Alabama enters a pivotal season with Kalen DeBoer as its head coach in 2026. The Crimson Tide's first mark under DeBoer came in the form of a 9-4 finish in 2024, its lowest mark since 2007. Alabama progressed by two wins in 2025, but it still lost four games, three of which were by two or more touchdowns. DeBoer's impressive track record prior to his arrival in Tuscaloosa made him an attractive candidate for the job; he compiled a 104-12 overall record between stops at NAIA Sioux Falls, Fresno State and Washington. The trouble with the jump from Washington to Alabama was the prospect of following up Nick Saban, who spoiled the Crimson Tide with six national championships in 17 seasons on the job. The hot seat discourse will grow louder if Alabama turns in another disappointing season in 2026, but the idea of taking a job with that much pressure can deter qualified candidates.of ESPN called attention to the challenges that come with the Alabama job on a recent edition of "The Next Round." Oregon head coach Dan Lanning speaks during the head coaches’ press conference ahead of the Peach Bowl at the College Football Hall of Fame | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images “You tell me… if it’s not him, who will they get who will come to Tuscaloosa right now? Is it going to be Dan Lanning, who, to me, is the only answer? That’s the only answer, because Kirby ain’t coming," Smith said. "So, tell me who that guy is who’s going to appease people who wanna run a guy who is fielding a competitive team, a winning team, who’s winning in the fourth quarter. He got his butt kicked in the Rose Bowl, and that’s what people are looking at. Tell me who .” Lanning found himself in the running to replace Saban at Alabama in the 2024 offseason but ultimately decided to stay at Oregon. He is of the Saban lineage, as he worked with Saban at Alabama as a graduate assistant in 2015 before continuing his way up the coaching ladder as a defensive assistant. In four seasons as Oregon's head coach, Lanning has amassed a 48-8 overall record and led the Ducks to a pair of College Football Playoff appearances in the latter two seasons. He understands the expectations that come with the Alabama job, having worked under Saban, although he would have much less head coaching experience than his last two predecessors. Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning on the field prior to the 2025 Peach Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff | Brett Davis-Imagn ImagesTUCKER HARLIN Tucker Harlin is a passionate sports fan and journalist covering college sports. His work can be found on Vols Wire of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group and The Voice of College Football Network. He graduated from the School of Journalism and Media at the University of Tennessee in 2024 and is based in Nashville.
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