Auburn football reporter: Alabama not going anywhere with Dan Lanning or Marcus Freeman after Nick Saban retirement

Auburn football reporter Nathan King of Auburnundercover believes Alabama will be just fine in the wake of Nick Saban's retirement with either Oregon's Dan Lanning or Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman (or someone else) and will remain in the College Football Playoff picture annually; if not winning championship after championship like the prime Saban years.

"Alabama isn’t going anywhere," King prefaced before saying, "It may not win national championships right away with someone like Oregon’s , Notre Dame’s , or whoever lands the job, but especially in the upcoming 12-team playoff era, it’d be foolish to expect the Crimson Tide to fall off a cliff in terms of national prominence."

Of course, those prime Saban years after nearly a half-decade removed from the present. It hasn't been since before the very first NIL deal was signed that Saban's Crimson Tide reigned supreme in college football.

Of course, King wasn't here to disrespect the college football G.O.A.T. The 247Sports analyst acknowledged that the next Alabama head coach won't be what Saban has been during an unmatched career.

"Those coaches, however, are not Nick Saban," King prefaced before saying, "It’s possible no one else in our lifetime ever will be — seven national titles between Alabama and LSU and double-digit wins every year since 2008 — especially considering how quickly teams can flip their rosters through the transfer portal."

Nick Saban's retirement leading to Ryan Williams flip to Auburn football, among others

With Saban retiring, Ryan Williams took no time de-committing from Alabama and opening the door for the Freeze Five -- along with fellow WR stars Cam Coleman, Perry Thompson, Bryce Cain, and Malcolm Simmons -- to link up ASAP on the Plains.

Williams feels like a lock to flip to AU, but he may be the only Crimson Tide commit or current player who could hit the portal and find a new home roughly two and a half hours southeast in Lee County.

A new era has begun in the Iron Bowl rivalry's history. Alabama's time may be up, and Auburn's time may be now.