7 candidates to replace Nick Saban at Alabama following reports of his retirement, including Dan Lanning

The Nick Saban Era at Alabama has reportedly come to close.

After all the championships and awards. After all the unbelievable stats. After years of thinking this day wouldn’t actually arrive, the Hall of Fame coach is reportedly stepping down from his perch atop the Crimson Tide dynasty.

ESPN’s Chris Low first broke the news on Wednesday and the college football world immediately broke into hysterics. Amid all the eulogies and retrospectives, there is still one big question hanging over the sport of college football: Who’s going to replace arguably the best coach of his generation?

Here are seven candidates the Crimson Tide are surely going to check in on as they make that decision.