COLLEGE STATION, TX - OCTOBER 07: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide looks on during pre-game warmups before playing the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field on October 7, 2017 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

Report: Lead candidate emerging for open spot on Alabama’s coaching staff

Would this be a good hire by Alabama?

Jeremy Pruitt is now the head coach at Tennessee and, as a result, Nick Saban will be in search of some help on the defensive side of the ball in Tuscaloosa.

Videos by FanBuzz

Given that Pruitt's trajectory allowed him to join from a defensive coordinator position straight to becoming an SEC head coach (and there are countless other examples), it is clear that working for Saban at Alabama can work wonders for a career and, now, word is breaking that the Crimson Tide have someone in mind as a replacement.

Aaron Suttles of TideSports.com brings word that UTSA defensive coordinator Pete Golding is "the leading candidate" to fill the open spot at Alabama, even if the reporting doesn't specifically indicate that Golding would be the defensive coordinator. Because there are other quality options, Alabama may simply shift things around but Golding was respected enough to reportedly be in the mix for the DC job at Mississippi State and that is a positive indication.

Everything that Saban touches seems to turn to gold in terms of grooming his assistants and Golding may be the next one. Now, we will see how the loss of Pruitt affects the Crimson Tide in the near future.