Alabama head coach Nick Saban's reported retirement sent shock waves through the college football world on Wednesday evening.  The legendary seven-time national champion head coach leaves behind perhaps the biggest shoes to fill in the history of the sport.  

A to Z Sports' Zach Ragan put forth his list of 6 potential replacements in Tuscaloosa for Saban.  

By contrast, here are five coaches whose names likely won't be announced as the new Alabama head coach in the coming weeks.  

Kirby Smart

Smart spent a lot of time under Saban in Tuscaloosa, joining the staff when Saban took the job.  He was Saban's defensive coordinator from 2008 to 2015.  As such, he has the background for the job. 

However, Smart is Georgia through and through, having played there and brought the Bulldogs to back-to-back national championships as a coach.  He has the Bulldogs as arguably the top program in the country, especially if Jim Harbaugh leaves for the NFL.  Kirby's not going anywhere. 

Jim Harbaugh

It's a name that's already been thrown around by some on social media.  That's what happens when you're on top.  Alabama is also a name that will get anyone to at least take a look. 

However, Harbaugh is a Michigan man and right where he belongs – if he stays in the college game, that is.  It's no secret that Harbaugh recently hired an agent with strong NFL ties.  Harbaugh might prefer to return to the professional ranks and focus on coaching rather than stroking the egos of 17-year-old recruits.  Regardless, Harbaugh is a much stronger fit outside of Tuscaloosa regardless of which level of football he ends up choosing in 2024. 

Urban Meyer

Speaking of names on social media, Urban Meyer's is another that routinely comes up any time a marquee job comes open.  Meyer has done nothing but win everywhere he goes.  Well, in the college game, at least.  His disastrous lightning-quick tenure in Jacksonville showed he's a college coach only. 

His Jacksonville flame out also revealed worrisome alleged treatment of players and coaches and an incident at a bar during the season that drew a lot of deservedly negative attention.  Add that into health concerns constantly raised when he was at Ohio State, and there are likely too many red flags for a pristine program like Alabama – who will have top coaches lining up – to consider. 

James Franklin

Franklin is a name that tends to pop up peripherally with big name jobs, but he never seems to be a serious candidate for them.  That'll likely be the case with the Alabama job, too, although I imagine Franklin would be interested. 

However, Franklin likely won't be a name high on the Crimson Tide's list.  Franklin, while making Penn State relevant again, hasn't been able to compete with Ohio State and Michigan as a serious Big Ten and national title contender over the last ten seasons.  While making New Years Six bowls every other year on average (5 in Franklin's 10 seasons) is a good result for a program on Penn State's level, that likely won't move the needle enough for a spoiled fan base like Alabama's.  They're looking for championship pedigree, and that's not quite Franklin.

Dabo Swinney

There are plenty of logical reasons for Swinney to consider the Alabama job, as Ragan points out.  It wouldn't shock me to see him ultimately end up getting the job. 

However, there's a major sticking point that's a concern for me: NIL.  Alabama has been competitive on the NIL front, which may need to be even stronger of a draw now that Saban is riding off into the sunset.  Swinney has expressed reservations about NIL and the transfer portal, preferring to focus on high school recruiting.  That's too 2019 of a way of thinking to work in today's college football environment.  Ironically, that's Dabo's last 11-win season.  

The 6 most likely replacements for Nick Saban at Alabama

Nick Saban stunned the college football world