Apr 22, 2023; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders during the first half of the spring game at Folsom Filed. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

While Deion Sanders has only been the head coach at Colorado for two games, many are already wondering what’s next for Coach Prime.

That includes ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, who had suggested that the Hall of Fame cornerback could ultimately wind up being Nick Saban’s successor at Alabama.

“I had a colleague ask me today, this is where we are on the morning after, who do you think the top three candidates would be if quote unquote, Nick Saban retired?” Finebaum said during an appearance on the Matt Barrie Show on Sunday. “And I don’t know if Prime is on that list or not. But why not?”

Finebaum later added: “I’m not gonna get too deep into the weeds. When I was trying to think of some of the names. I mean, they’re all just nice coaches, but none of them have the star power. I mean, quite frankly, Nick Saban doesn’t have the star power that Deion Sanders has right now.”

Even before Finebaum’s suggestion, many in the college football world were already speculating about the possibility of Coach Prime one day succeeding Saban following Alabama’s 34-24 loss to Texas on Saturday.

Considering his historic run in Tuscaloosa, there is obviously no shortage of intrigue when it comes to Saban’s future replacement. But as Finebaum noted, there are few potential candidates who could exceed Saban’s star power and Coach Prime — who has starred alongside the Alabama coach in Aflac commercials — happens to be one of them.

[The Matt Barrie Show]

About Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.