Nick Saban Says He Wanted to Hire Dan Lanning at Alabama

Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban claimed he once intended to hire Dan Lanning onto his staff during the Pat McAfee Show on Friday morning.

Saban, who won seven national titles over a 20-year span with LSU and Alabama, had Lanning on his staff as a graduate assistant in 2015.

Like many of his other former assistants that went on to do great things elsewhere, Saban says he hoped to keep Lanning around.

"Dan Lanning's a really good coach," Saban said. "He was a GA for us . . . and I actually wanted to hire him."

Like Jimbo Fisher, Lane Kiffin and Kirby Smart before him, Lanning is now following in Saban's footsteps as both a head coach and winner. Since his time as a graduate assistant under Saban in 2015, the current Oregon head coach has done nothing but ascend.

From Memphis, to Georgia and now Oregon, Lanning is a proven winner, having helped the Bulldogs to the 2021 national championship. Naturally, Saban agrees.

"My theory of having all these young guys on staff and developing them was to get them a job at Memphis State and then be able to re-hire them," Saban said. "When all these guys started coaching -- (Smart), (Jeremy Pruitt), Billy Napier, Mike Locksley -- they all hired them before I could hire them, so it kind of blew up on me."

Now retired, Saban can do nothing but look on as his countless former assistants dominate the college football landscape, Lanning included.

The seven-time national champion will likely be keeping a watchful eye on the Ducks as they begin their season with a home game against Idaho on Saturday, August 31. Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m.