It looks like the tenure of New Orleans Saints assistant head coach Mike Riley with the club will be a short one.

League sources and also sources at the University of Alabama confirmed for ESPN.com that Riley, the former San Diego Chargers head coach, tops the Crimson Tide's wish list as successor to the departed Dennis Franchione.

The likeable Riley played as a defensive back at Alabama (1971-74), and his candidacy is being boosted in part by former Crimson Tide teammate Ozzie Newsome, the much-respected Baltimore Ravens general manager whose input still means a lot in Tuscaloosa.

The only question about Riley, one of the NFL's nice guys, is if he has enough "slicks" for the SEC. The Saints have already suggested they will not stand in Riley's way if he wants to chase the Alabama job.

There won't be a lot of candidates and, if he really wants to assume control of a program ripped by probation, Riley probably can get the post.

One other name that has been thrown into the rumor mix is Arkansas football coach Houston Nutt, who said Friday that he's had no official contact with Alabama.

Nutt, 45, is finishing his fifth season at Arkansas, and his team will be going to its fifth bowl under his tutelage. He was SEC coach of the year last year.

"I've heard nothing, nothing happening,'' he said Thursday after reports that Alabama might be considering him as a replacement for Franchione.

The Razorbacks will play Georgia on Saturday at Atlanta for the SEC crown.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer at ESPN.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.