Deion Sanders Given Fourth-Best Odds to be Next Alabama Coach
The college football world was shaken to its core on Wednesday after it learned that Alabama head coach Nick Saban was retiring after 17 seasons with the Crimson Tide.
Now 72 years old, Saban returned the Tide to prominence after taking over the program in 2007, leading them to six national championships and nine SEC titles during his tenure in Tuscaloosa.
With age and health concerns being the reason for his retirement, Saban can now enjoy the retirement that he probably earned about a decade ago, but his exit from the sideline in Bryant-Denny Stadium will begin the biggest coaching search that this sport has seen in recent memory.
The Alabama job is perhaps the one vacancy in college football that means nobody is safe. If the Crimson Tide’s administration comes calling, any coach in the country would obligated to pick up the phone and at least hear an offer.
With that, there are already betting odds on the next coach of the Tide, and one future Big 12 head coach is on the short list of candidates, according to BetOnline.
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders is tied for the fourth-best odds to land in Tuscaloosa, at 6/1 (+600) to be the coach that follows up the legend himself.
Candidly, this seems highly unlikely considering the experience that Sanders has coaching at the FBS level, and that’s not to say that he couldn’t have wild success in Tuscaloosa. However, there’s a reason he’s so high up on the board, and it’s not a coincidence that people flock to Coach Prime.
Dan Lanning (3/1) and Lane Kiffin (5/1) are former pupils of Coach Saban and are first and third in odds to land the job, with Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney coming in with the second-best odds to go back to his alma mater.
Former Alabama offensive coordinator and Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian makes the list at 35/1 odds after leading the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff in 2023.
Here’s a look at the full list of odds, courtesy of BetOnline.ag.
Odds to Become Next Alabama Head Coach
| Dan Lanning | 3/1 | |
| Dabo Swinney | 4/1 | |
| Lane Kiffin | 5/1 | |
| Deion Sanders | 6/1 | |
| Kalen DeBoer | 6/1 | |
| Pat Shurmur | 9/1 | |
| Urban Meyer | 10/1 | |
| Billy Napier | 14/1 | |
| Derek Dooley | 14/1 | |
| Mike Norvell | 16/1 | |
| Ryan Day | 20/1 | |
| DeMeco Ryans | 22/1 | |
| Marcus Freeman | 22/1 | |
| James Franklin | 25/1 | |
| Sherrone Moore | 25/1 | |
| Mike Shula | 28/1 | |
| Steve Sarkisian | 35/1 | |
| Will Muschamp | 40/1 | |
| Mario Cristobal | 50/1 | |
| Mike Vrabel | 50/1 | |
| Dan Quinn | 66/1 | |
| Brian Daboll | 75/1 | |
| Butch Jones | 75/1 | |
| Ha Ha Clinton-Dix | 75/1 | |
| Major Applewhite | 75/1 | |
| Tommy Rees | 75/1 | |
| Bill Belichick | 80/1 | |
| Bill O’Brien | 80/1 | |
| Pete Carroll | 80/1 | |
| Adam Gase | 100/1 | |
| Greg McElroy | 100/1 | |
| Jason Garrett | 100/1 | |
| Jim Harbaugh | 100/1 | |
| Jimbo Fisher | 100/1 | |
| Ken Whisenhunt | 100/1 | |
| Kirby Smart | 100/1 | |
| Note: Others on request. | ||
