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Steve Spurrier: Nick Saban’s replacement at Alabama will last ‘2 to 3 years’

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Steve Spurrier: Nick Saban’s replacement at Alabama will last ‘2 to 3 years’


ATHENS — Steve Spurrier has a pretty good idea why Alabama is having a tough time replacing Nick Saban.

“Whoever they get next, I give him two to three years,” Spurrier said, asked about the appreciable coaching vacancy seven-time national championship coach Nick Saban left behind when he resigned on Wednesday.

“Then the next guy after that might turn it around.”

Coaches and agents know it’s hard to replace a legend. The idea, several coaches have said in chats about the Alabama opening, is to be the “next guy after the next guy.”

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Replacing legends

A look at the coaches who took on enormous expectations by following championship coaches at Florida — Spurrier and Urban Meyer —provides some evidence of the risk.

Ron Zook, the next coach up at Florida after Spurrier, lasted only three seasons (2002-04) with a 37-23 record.

Will Muschamp, who was next in line after Meyer from 2011-14, was 28-21 coaching the Gators over our seasons.

Jamey Chadwell, who turned in a 13-1 season at Liberty this season following Hugh Freeze’s successful run there, explained the challenge.

“It’s by far harder to take over a winning program, because they’ve won there before, and they’ve won a different way than you are doing it,” said Chadwell, who led the Flames to a league title and New Year’s Six Bowl in their first season in Conference USA.

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“It takes more time for them to trust your way of doing things.”

What about Dabo

Oregon coach Dan Lanning was Alabama’s top choice, per one source close to the program.

Lanning, however, declined interest in the Crimson Tide job just as quickly as he ruled himself out of the running for the Texas A&M job earlier this season.

Two-time national championship coach Dabo Swinney, a former Alabama player and coach, is believed to have interest in the job.

Sources close to the program say the “new” Alabama administration has been reluctant to consider Swinney, part of the Tide’s ‘old guard’ headed by Hall of Famer Gene Stallings in the 1990s.

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Young guns

There were many who believed Houston Texans’ head coach DeMeco Ryans would ultimately be Saban’s replacement.

But then the 39-year-old Ryans had so much success in the NFL this season that the Alabama job no longer makes sense.

One source close to the program said earlier this season that the Tide’s leadership was particularly impressed with offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, and that one day he might be head coach.

Rees, however ,is just 31 years old and has been at Alabama just one year. Further, Rees has never been a head coach.

History lesson

As great as Saban’s success made the Alabama job appear, there was a time before him when the program struggled to replace Stallings.

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Indeed, five coaches held the title of Alabama head coach between the end of Stallings’ tenure in 1996 and the start of Saban’s in 2007.

Tennessee football is another cautionary tale, as Phillip Fulmer’s first-ballot College Football Hall of Fame career with the Vols led many Big Orange fans into thinking anybody could win there.

Fulmer was fired in 2008 — one year removed from making his fifth SEC Championship Game appearance in 11 years.

Tennessee hasn’t been back in the SEC title game in the 16 years since then.

The next coach who followed Fulmer was Lane Kiffin, who stayed only one year. — long enough to get sideways into an NCAA investigation that clouded Derek Dooley’s three-tenure as Tennessee head coach.

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Spurrier’s closing thought

Spurrier, who continued to torment the Vols while head coach at South Carolina, including a 3-0 mark versus Dooley, said Saban’s announcement did not catch him off guard.

“It wasn’t surprising for Coach Saban to retire, he’s done it long enough, and college coaching isn’t as much fun as when I was in there,” said Spurrier, who went 3-1 against Saban in head-to-head games, beating him twice at Florida when Saban was at LSU, and splitting with him at South Carolina after Saban had taken over at Alabama.

“We had an offseason when I was coaching. It’s year-around now, and then you’ve got that transfer portal and all that NIL to deal with.”

Spurrier noted Saban was aware of the soaring expectations, which would have likely continued to mount as Alabama failed to win a national title the past three seasons.

“I was taking to Coach (Saban) one time,” Spurrier said, “and he told me if he lost three games in a season, hell would break loose.”

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Things at Alabama are starting to appear just as shaky as the coaching search lingers on.



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3 Alabama players who helped their draft stock at 2026 NFL combine

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3 Alabama players who helped their draft stock at 2026 NFL combine



Each player had a pivotal role on the Crimson Tide in 2025.

Alabama had a multitude of former players who performed at an elite level at the NFL combine this past weekend.

Former Alabama star quarterback Ty Simpson was among those who put his talents on full display in Indianapolis, as Simpson continues to emerge as a top quarterback prospect available in April’s draft.

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Numerous Crimson Tide stars on both sides of the football were able to have an excellent showing at the combine as well, with each playmaker a vital component to the Tide’s success in 2025.

Here are three Alabama players who helped their draft stock rise at the NFL combine.

Ty Simpson, Quarterback

Simpson is widely regarded as the best quarterback prospect available outside of Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. The talented redshirt junior put on an absolute show at the NFL combine, as Simpson delivered multiple perfect throws and put his talents on full display throughout Saturday’s events.

The former Alabama star is a candidate to potentially shine day one in his campaign in the NFL, as Simpson’s draft stock continues to rise prior to April.

Jam Miller, Running Back

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Miller is an extremely fast and athletic running back, despite struggling in the Tide’s backfield last season. The star running back recorded an impressive 4.43u 40-yard dash time, as Miller could very easily shine in the NFL next season with consistent playing time.

Miller was nothing short of elite throughout his entire performance at the combine in Indianapolis, as the former Tide running back continues to rise in a multitude of draft rankings around the football world.

Kadyn Proctor, Offensive Tackle

Proctor played a crucial role on Alabama’s offensive line last season. The star lineman reportedly slimmed down prior to the NFL combine, as Proctor displayed elite speed and athleticism throughout Sunday’s combine in Indianapolis.

Proctor is widely expected to be a mid-to-late first round selection in April, as the talented lineman’s efforts during the combine could quickly begin to work in Proctor’s favor during next month’s draft.

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The 2026 NFL draft will take place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania starting on April 23, as each Crimson Tide star will look to shine throughout their rookie campaign in the NFL.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.





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Husband, 19, fatally shot wife, 24, himself at Alabama hospital moments after welcoming their first child

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Husband, 19, fatally shot wife, 24, himself at Alabama hospital moments after welcoming their first child


A husband fatally shot his wife before turning the gun on himself at an Alabama hospital just moments after they welcomed their first child on Sunday.

Kynath Terry Jr., 19, gunned down 24-year-old Precious Johnson before fatally shooting himself inside the Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital around 9:30 p.m. Sunday night, WTVM 13 reported.

Johnson delivered a healthy baby just before she was murdered. It’s not immediately clear if the baby was present during the shooting, but police said that Terry and Johnson were the only ones injured.

Kynath Terry Jr., 19, shot 24-year-old Precious Johnson at an Alabama hospital after she gave birth to their child. WVTM

Terry’s mother told the outlet that the couple were having some marital issues leading up to Johnson’s due date, but nothing that made her fear her son would become violent.

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She told the outlet that Terry completed Army National Guard training before tying the knot with Johnson.

She noted that Johnson didn’t want Terry’s side of the family at the hospital for her child’s birth, but it’s unclear if anyone from the mother-to-be’s own family was there.

The hospital was plunged into a lockdown “out of an abundance of caution” while police investigated reports of a shooting. It wasn’t lifted until hours later when they determined there was “no active threat to patients, team members or the public,” the outlet reported.

The Homewood Police Department described the tragedy as “an apparent murder-suicide and is domestic in nature.”

Terry completed Army National Guard training before marrying Johnson. WVTM
The shooting sent Brookwood Baptist Medical Center into an hours-long lockdown. Google Maps

Danne Howard, the president of the Alabama Hospital Association, told the outlet that the chilling attack “was an isolated incident” unlike anything she’d encountered during her three decades working in the state.

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Howard said, in the wake of the tragedy, the Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital would undergo a security overhaul implementing “lessons learned” from a mandated after-action report.

Just three months ago, in a town six miles outside of Homewood, a beloved sports reporter was fatally shot by her husband before taking his own life. Their 3-year-old son, who was unharmed, led his grandfather to his parents’ bodies.



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Air Force base security tightens, AL reacts after attacks in Iran

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Air Force base security tightens, AL reacts after attacks in Iran


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The United States and Israel-led attacks on Iran are having an impact in Central Alabama.

The military actions that began Saturday targets the military forces of Iran and the nation’s ability to build nuclear weapons.

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In Montgomery, Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Annex have stepped up security so that all entry points will have a 100 percent ID check, the bases said on social media. The Trusted Traveler Program is suspended, which allowed Department of Defense identification holders to vouch for passengers.

Visitors without base access will have to go through the visitor center to get a pass.

Central Alabama residents react to the Iran attacks

For Travis Jackson of Montgomery, the attacks bring back memories, bad memories. He served one tour in Iraq from 2007-2008 with the U.S. Army. He attained the rank of sergeant before leaving the service and has worked the last 10 years as a community activist and diversity, equality and inclusion coordinator.

“I had a flashback of being overseas again,” he said when he first heard news of the attack. “The first thing I thought of was corporate greed. Of yet again seeing what has transpired throughout the years of any war overseas.”

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He feels the attacks are a mistake.

“It’s going to be detrimental to the economy, notably with the increase in oil prices,” he said.

Removing the current regime in Iran and establishing a more western friendly country could improve hopes for a more stable Middle East, said Amy Stephens of Elmore County.

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“I don’t know if there will ever be peace there,” Stephens said. “But Iran has been the causing trouble over there for almost 50 years.”

Ray Roberts of Prattville served in Operation Desert Shield/Storm in 1990 and 1991 after Iraq invaded Kuwait. He served in an ordinance company with the Alabama Army National Guard. He was a sergeant when he left the service and now works as a draftsman at a Montgomery manufacturing plant.

“It wasn’t a surprise,” Roberts said of the attacks. “President Trump had said they were coming. When he says something like that, he means it. I am glad we are working with Israel so it’s not just the United States. I wonder if Europe and some of the other Gulf nations will join the attacks.”

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com. To support his work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.

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