Thamel: James Franklin among top candidates to replace Nick Saban

The college football world changed forever on Wednesday. With seven national championships and 12 conference titles, the retirement of Nick Saban brings to an end the greatest coaching career in the history of the sport. Whoever replaces Saban at Alabama has the impossible task of stepping into the shoes of a living legend. But Penn State football coach James Franklin might just be the man for the job. At least, that is according to ESPN insider Pete Thamel. Mere moments after the Saban retirement news broke, Thamel had already listed Franklin among the top candidates to become the next Alabama football coach.

Pete Thamel lists James Franklin among top candidates at Alabama following Nick Saban retirement

Nick Saban will unequivocally go down as the greatest coach in college football history. In 28 years as a head coach, the last 17 at Alabama, Saban has won seven national championships, 12 conference crowns, and 19 bowl games. He is four spots behind Penn State football coach Joe Paterno as the fifth-winningest coach in FBS history with 292 all-time wins.

Beyond Saban’s legacy and impact on the sport, the premiere job in college football just became available. Alabama football now begins the near-impossible task of replacing the man who made the Crimson Tide the most coveted program in the country.

The next Alabama football coach will undoubtedly be one of the top coaches in the nation. And according to Pete Thamel, James Franklin just may fit the bill. Minutes after the Nick Saban retirement news broke, the ESPN insider listed the Penn State football coach as one of the top candidates for the Alabama job.

Franklin joins Oregon’s Dan Lanning, Washington’s Kalen DeBoer, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, Florida State’s Mike Norvell, and Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman as the other coaches on Thamel’s projected target list. “All come with complications and big buyouts, as it’s difficult to move entrenched coaches,” Thamel writes.

With no likely internal replacements at Alabama, here’s a quick projected target list. Dan Lanning, Kalen DeBoer, Dabo Swinney, James Franklin, Mike Norvell and Marcus Freeman. All come with complications and big buyouts, as it’s difficult to move entrenched coaches. https://t.co/0K2NWk8CtL

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 10, 2024

Here we go again?

James Franklin owns a 112-54 all-time coaching record. Franklin led Penn State football to a fifth 10-win season during his tenure in 2023, which ultimately culminated in a loss to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl. Still, the Nittany Lions have played in five New Year’s Six Bowls since Franklin took over in 2014, winning two.

Of course, Penn State football fans have been here before. Franklin was rumored as one of the top candidates to take over the LSU and USC jobs in 2021, which led to a new 10-year, $70 million guaranteed contract. Of note, if Franklin did take a new job in 2024, his buyout would be $2 million.

Is James Franklin a realistic candidate to take over for Nick Saban at Alabama? That’s really anyone’s guess. But one thing that is certain is that you can throw out everything you knew about the college coaching market in 2024: the Alabama job is now open.

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