The 72-year-old Alabama football coach is stepping down after 17 years leading Alabama to six national championships.
Late Wednesday night, a group of students gathered in front of Saban’s statue in front of Bryant-Denny Stadium to celebrate the coach’s legacy to Tuscaloosa.
It doesn’t matter which students want to replace Saban. The Pelham native and former Alabama native, who led Clemson to two college football national championships, is not a good fit for this student body.
Nick Saban shocked Alabama Crimson Tide fans and the entire college football world on Wednesday. Saban, 72, announced his retirement from coaching more than a week after Alabama’s season ended. Now, for the first time since 2007, Alabama needs a new coach.
After all, who’s to say who the Crimson Tide will hire to replace the best college football coach of the present generation, some Alabama fans prefer someone who doesn’t want to be a head coach.
Fans stood by Saban’s statue outside Bryant-Denny Stadium Wednesday night.
One of the followers encouraged his friends to follow suit:
“Who is the only one who is Dabo”
“Anyone but Clemson coach Dabo Swinney.”
Video by WVTM 13’s Brittany Decker.
Well, fans don’t really like Clemson’s coach and Alabama’s receiver and assistant coach.
Students chant “anyone but Dabo!” in front of Bryant-Denny Stadium. @WVTM13 pic.twitter.com/3MPGDt7WQ9
— Brittany Decker (@BrittanyWVTM13) January 11, 2024
Swinney has been successful since becoming Clemson’s president in 2009, just two years after Saban left the university to lead Alabama.
Swinney led the Tigers to back-to-back CFP National Championships in three seasons (2016, 2018).
However, these wins were earned by Saban and the Crimson Tide.
Alabama is reportedly wasting no time in hiring a new head coach, as 247 Sports revealed the university told the team they hope to hire Saban’s replacement within 72 hours of announcing his resignation.
Alabama fans outside Bryant-Denny Stadium chanted “Anyone but Dabo” on Wednesday night.
The protest came after it was announced that Nick Saban would no longer be the head coach of Tuscaloosa. A number of candidates quickly emerged as potential replacements, including Clemson’s Dabo Swinney.
Why the hate for a two-time national champion who wore Alabama’s “A” as a player in the early 1990s and as a coach during his tenure at Clemson?
First, they won two games in the CFP playoffs, beating Alabama and eliminating the Crimson Tide. Prior to this, the Tide had a 14-0 record, winning all but one game by double digits.
Swinney has no interest in taking the cake, though, and based on the terms of his contract with Clemson, he probably won’t!
In 2019, after winning his second national championship, Swinney found a buyout clause in his contract with the Crimson Tide.
“If the employee resigns early in the season and wishes to accept another position with the same or similar responsibilities as a head coach,”
Swinney and his school said in a statement to Clemson.
Swinney spent three years as a wide receiver with the Crimson Tide in the early 1990s.
That clause stuck in his 2022 extension.
“Should employee terminate early for purpose of accepting employment in another position with duties of or substantially similar to a collegiate head coach,”
Swinney and/or his next school would owe Clemson:
2024: $7.5M (Alabama); $5M (other)
2025: $6M (Alabama); $4M (other)
2026: $4.5M (Alabama); $3M (other)
The Clemson coach was a member of Alabama’s 1992 team under head coach Gene Stallings. However, the Alabama alum has become an enemy of some Crimson Tide supporters.
Clemson defeated Alabama twice in the national championship under Swinney.
The two teams met three times between 2015 and 2018, with Clemson winning the last two games. But because of Swinney’s lengthy career and his ties to Alabama, the 54-year-old will replace Saban — whether some students like it or not.
A few years ago, Dabo Swinney was considered the top option in Alabama football if the Crimson Tide wanted to replace Nick Saban. But after the 2018 season, Dabo found new success and the shine began to fade.
Saban shocked the college football world Wednesday by announcing his retirement in a game-changing move.
The big question is, who will replace the first college football coach? Or at least that’s what Alabama wants. But a large group of Alabama football fans know who they don’t want, Dabo Swinney.
A group of fans started chanting ‘anyone but Dabo’ at the rally lamenting the retirement of the seven-time national champion.
Former Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik was underperforming and unprepared for Dabo’s challenge to replace Nick Saban.
Maybe if Lanning goes down, the Tide will focus on Washington’s Kalen DeBoer, but it’s clear who the fans don’t want.
Fans reacted as follows:
Can we just recognize this literally looks like a memorial
— Anthony Russo (@Anthony_Russo97) January 11, 2024
bill o'brien will be the perfect fit with butch jones oc and jeremy pruitt dc.
— left-handed Grandpa 06 (@longdrive1153) January 11, 2024
There are a good many names that could easily be added to such a list.
— Sebastian Ridley-Thomas (@SebastianMRT) January 11, 2024
#NickSaban
Thank you for everything you have given to American football 🏈🏈
Here's the Original link guys 🛒🦁😍🦁🛒https://t.co/YURhMlRiu8— 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼 (@vtinoooo1) January 11, 2024
Bama fans deserve nothing but losing seasons and misery from here on out.
— Nico (@nico_w1992) January 11, 2024
That’s something to be proud of doing about one of their alumni and former players #vintagebama
— Stacey Collins (@AuburnGreek1) January 11, 2024
Anyone but Mike Norville. He showed his team at FSU how to be a bunch of quitters and whiners. Saban never would’ve done that, His number one overall draft pick QB played in the meaningless sugar bowl as well. BAMA doesn’t quit.
— Scott (@spasewalk) January 11, 2024
The pressure at Clemson got Dabo head spinning so image what the pressure at Bama would do to him. He complains more than a baby that wants a bottle. T-Town would chew him up and spit him out in 2-3 year of not winning big like Saban. pic.twitter.com/nEpQRBegzd
— Real_Deal_Trill (@Educ8edNupe) January 11, 2024
