BREAKING NEWS: Alabama’s Head Coach Search becomes more tougher as 2 More Top Candidates Turn Down Tide

Two more of the University of Alabama’s top coaching targets declined to coach the Crimson Tide, making the school’s search for Nick Saban’s replacement more difficult than it first seemed.

Following Nick Saban’s retirement, everyone in the college football world assumed Dan Lanning of Oregon would take over as head coach of Alabama. Subsequently, on Thursday morning, Dan Lanning posted a video announcing his decision to remain in Oregon.
Following that, attention turned to Kalen DeBoer of Washington, Steve Sarkisian of Texas, Mike Norvell of Florida State, Dabo Swinney of Clemson, and Mike Locksley of Maryland, who have emerged as dark horse possibilities. Both Steve Sarkisian and Mike Norvell have officially withdrawn from Alabama’s “Next Head Coach” search list as of this hour, having both declared they would remain in their current positions.

FSU AD Michael Alford used the GIF of the “new pope selection” to hype the Mike Norvell announcement:

Following up with this statement, Mike Norvell, who guided the Seminoles to an undefeated regular season, reaffirmed his dedication to Tallahassee and turned the Seminoles back into the dominant program they were under Bobby Bowden:

Ross Dellenger reports that Mike Norvell has agreed to a new eight-year contract with FSU, which would pay him in excess of $10 million annually. As Norvell recently inked a contract extension for 2023, Florida State University is making a significant investment in their head coach.

Steve Sarkisian released his own “I’m not leaving” promo video a few hours earlier:
The hunt is still on for Alabama’s next head coach.
We asked AI to forecast the next head coach for Alabama yesterday. These outcomes are visible here. Both Sark and Norvell’s names were selected by computers.

As a Florida State alum and devoted Seminoles supporter, I can’t speak to how Longhorn Nation is feeling at the moment, but I can say that there is a noticeable sense of relief. The previous several days have been filled with anxious talk about how much the program would suffer if Mike Norvell decided to go to Alabama.

It’s unknown if Mike Norvell’s decision to stay or go was influenced by the NCAA’s fines against FSU for NIL infractions. However, Norvell’s representative met with University of Alabama decision-makers yesterday in Tuscaloosa.

Having said that, Jimmy Sexton is a representative of every notable figure in college football. He might have attended the meeting on behalf of any respectable college football coach.