Alabama football will have plenty of candidates to be their next intern.
It has almost become a running joke in Tuscaloosa that they educate coaches alongside players. Former head coaches join the Alabama football program in hopes of having their careers resurrected. Lane Kiffin joined as a coordinator. Butch Jones was essentially an intern. Steve Sarkisian was an offensive analyst before becoming the offensive coordinator. Charlie Strong and other candidates have all done the same thing.
Who will be the next head coach to join the Alabama coaching staff? There are plenty of candidates. Some have already lost their jobs, but others are on the verge of having that happen. Let’s look at who might consider joining the Alabama football staff.
Will Muschamp
Muschamp is the first head coach in the SEC to be fired. He has a history with Nick Saban as his former coordinator, so he has connections in Tuscaloosa. With him searching for a job, he certainly needs to do something to get back to his prime coaching days. However, he might have higher hopes than a simple analyst role. He likely wants to at least be a coordinator once again. He will likely field offers from smaller schools, but coming back to coach for Alabama football might be the right move for his future.
Jim Harbaugh
I honestly think that there is no way that this happens. If anything, he would rather retire than be anything less than a head coach. However, Harbaugh can’t expect to stay in Michigan much longer. His value as a head coach has plummeted over the past few seasons, and he could use some humbling. He is more likely to go back to the NFL, but he should at least consider giving Nick Saban a call.
Mel Tucker
Tucker has been the head coach of Michigan State for a short amount of time, but you have to believe that they had higher hopes. I doubt that the Spartans will have such little patience, but who knows?
James Franklin
Penn State has struggled immensely this year. I’m not sure what Franklin wants to do with the rest of his coaching career, but he likely won’t last at his current job. Who knows what is next for Franklin?
Les Miles
Kansas still hasn’t won a game in 2020, which is a surprising turn of events. Les Miles was expected to ride off into the sunset, but he decided to return to coaching with Kansas. If this is the first step to becoming a good head coach once again, it is not going well. Instead, he might want to consider joining the Alabama football team. It will be fun to watch.
All in all, I’m not sure if any of these prominent head coaches will come to Alabama. However, they could probably learn a thing or two in Tuscaloosa. As long as both parties benefit, why not consider these candidates?