The shocking news came out of Tuscaloosa on Wednesday that Nick Saban was retiring from his post as the head coach of Alabama.

The Crimson Tide are coming off a season where they defeated Georgia for the SEC Championship and qualified for the CFB Playoff. Alabama came within minutes of taking down Michigan and competing for a National Championship.

Alabama will be losing some key defensive pieces but Jalen Milroe returns to lead the offense. Now, it will be looking for a new head coach for 2024. Below, we take a look at three hot names that could replace Saban on the sideline.

Honorable Mention: Dabo Swinney, Mike Norvell, Lane Kiffin

3. Steve Sarkisian

If Alabama is looking for an offensive-minded head coach, there is one that has experience in Tuscaloosa and a history of success at that.

Sarkisian led a top-two offense in the nation during his two years as offensive coordinator under Saban. He has led Texas back to prominence over the last few years and this includes a spot in the playoff this year. The Longhorns are moving to the SEC next season and if this job opens up, it will be highly-coveted as well.

The question is, can Alabama take Sarkisian out of Austin?

Texas has plenty of money to recruit and offer NIL money to elite players around the nation. As for Sarkisian, he is making $5.6 million, which is 30th among active head coaches. The Crimson Tide might be able to sway Sarkisian with a significant raise and bring in a coach who knows how to handle Alabama.

2. Kalen DeBoer

DeBoer has been successful every step of his journey. He won at Fresno State and led Washington to a 25-3 record over the last two years. This includes a Pac-12 Championship and finish as the National runner-up this season.

This is another chance for Alabama to lure an offensive head coach to help build around Milroe for next season. Washington featured a true drop-back passer in Michael Penix Jr. and Milroe would be quite the opposite.

The Huskies are moving to the Big Ten so the competition is going to be stiff no matter where DeBoer is. Now that the job has opened up in Tuscaloosa, it will be interesting to see if DeBoer is looking to take one big step up.

1. Dan Lanning

Lanning has ties to Alabama dating back a decade and it could all come full circle as the next head coach now that he has gained necessary experience.

Lanning was a defensive graduate assistant for the Crimson Tide in 2015. Three years later, Saban attempted to bring Lanning back onto the staff but Georgia swooped in at the last minute. Lanning was a linebackers coach for the Bulldogs that year before serving as the defensive coordinator for three years. This includes being on a National Championship staff, leading the No. 1 defense in the nation.

Lanning won nine games at Oregon this season and appeared in the Pac-12 Championship Game. The Ducks fell to Washington twice this season and this hindered the team from qualifying for the playoff. Lanning has emerged as one of the major candidate to replace Saban after gaining the Power Five experience.