Nick Saban’s daughter Kristen throws shade at James Franklin rumors linking him to Alabama HC job: “Big no”

Nick Saban's retirement dropped like a bucket of cold water on Wednesday afternoon, shaking the very foundations of college football. Saban had the most successful of spells any coach could have asked for during his 17 seasons at Tuscaloosa.

While he came into Alabama as one of the hottest coaches of the mid-2000s, having won a national championship at LSU in 2003, he leaves as the undisputed best coach in college football history.

With Alabama, Saban won six national championships and nine Southeastern Conference championships. It was a dynasty like no other in the history of college football.

Now, everyone's attention turns to the possible successor to the Alabama legend. Almost everyone has been discussed as a potential successor. Favorites include people like Texas' Steve Sarkisian, Oregon's Dan Lanning, Washington's Kalen DeBoer and FSU's Mike Norvell.

A name that has been dropped as an outside contender is Penn State coach James Franklin. However, he doesn't seem to have the backing of the Saban clan.

Nick Saban's daughter, Kristen Saban, simply commented the following on an ESPN post suggesting Franklin as a replacement for Nick Saban:

"Absolutely not to Franklin. Nope. Big no."

Who could replace Nick Saban?

Steve Sarkisian, Dan Lanning, Kalen DeBoer and Mike Norvell look like three prime options to replace the legendary coach. Sarkisian's case is complicated because he's already deep at work in Austin, recovering one of the biggest brands in college football. However, at one point, it looked like Sarkisian would be Saban's anointed successor. Will he return?

Lanning is in a program where he has a high chance of succeeding nationally, but Oregon is no Alabama. Could the temptation be too big? Probably. This is our favorite pick for Saban's successor.

Washington coach DeBoer is an interesting case because he's probably also going to be considered for the Seahawks' job in the NFL with Pete Carrol also retiring. The Huskies coach led his team to a national championship game and a Pac-12 title in 2023.

Mike Norvell would be the one who would have less qualms about leaving his current job. It's clear by now that we are moving to a power two scheme, with the SEC and the Big Ten dominating football. The snub of the Seminoles by the committee made it clear that the ACC is not as highly regarded as it once was.

With FSU stuck in the ACC for the foreseeable future, Norvell would jump at the chance. He has the pedigree, having had an undefeated regular season this year, but will he get a call?

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Nick Saban: A generational game-changer

There's no doubt that Nick Saban helped shape what college football has become over the past two decades. His influence in making the SEC the dominating force in college football made other schools rise to his level, which cannot be understated.

A simple phrase should encapsulate the emotions and begrudging respect Saban was able to create in a generation of fans: You loved to hate him. We'll leave you with a story that shows him as a true leader, him defending his players after a national championship game loss in 2022:

Enjoy your retirement, coach.