Has Nick Saban already honed in on who he wants to replace Scott Cochran as Alabama's strength coach? It would appear that way according to several college football insiders who believe the Crimson Tide's head coach is gunning for the top of the food chain with this hire.

Jon Wilner of The Mercury News reported on Tuesday he expected Alabama to "make a strong push to hire" Feld, who has SEC roots as an Alabama native. That was followed by Duck Territory analyst Matt Prehm saying Feld would certainly entertain a conversation with the Crimson Tide given his respect for Nick Saban and one of the nation's best programs.

"I 100 percent expect Alabama to pick up the phone and ask are you interested and I 100 percent expect Feld to consider it,” Prehm said Tuesday on the Duck Territory podcast. “He’s from that area. His wife is from Alabama. If Alabama is calling you, that’s one of those programs you have to take the phone call and consider. I 100 percent think that conversation will happen. Will he go? I don’t know. But if he does go, look at Mario Cristobal’s track record of who he has hired.

“Ducks fans need to get away from the idea that every guy on this staff is irreplaceable and that you can’t find someone else that can do a quality job. Maybe you can’t find someone that’s 100 percent equal to what Aaron Feld is, but maybe you can find someone that’s 98 percent and that 98 percent is still 30 percent better than anybody int he conference.”

Each of those happenings correlate to BamaOnline analysts Travis Reier and Charlie Potter's thoughts on Tuesday that Saban would have Feld near the top of his list of potential candidates. Feld is a former Crimson Tide intern credited with being a major part of Mario Cristobal's early success in Eugene. Feld, a former Mississippi State long-snapper, saw his star level heightened after leaving North Alabama as its Director of Strength and Conditioning for Georgia, and playing a role in Kirby Smart's Playoff run in 2017.

"Looking at everything he has said since Cochran’s departure, I think Saban will look to hire a top-tier strength coach Cochran was widely considered the best in the business, so bringing in an established coach will be important," Potter told 247Sports this week. "But I also think maybe a younger guy with fresh ideas is a top priority for Saban, too. After all, he made sure to mention the new sports science facility at the end of his statement on Cochran. Someone with experience there would make sense.”