Nick Saban stands firm on a possible return to coaching

Jason Jones

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Nick Saban stands firm on a possible return to coaching image

On Friday’s Pat McAfee Show, McAfee sat down with former Alabama head coach Nick Saban inside FirstBank Stadium in Nashville.

With the backdrop of Vanderbilt’s home stadium, McAfee and Saban touched on several college football topics, but none more intriguing than the question regarding current high profile head coaching vacancies and the inevitable rumors that will include Saban’s name.

Of the eleven current job openings, two stand tall above the rest: Penn State, who recently fired James Franklin, and Florida, who recently fired Billy Napier. If and only if Saban was interested in coaching again, either of those two might have been big enough to force Saban to at least, think about it.

As Saban would explain, he's happy where he is. 

Anyone who’s watched Saban’s contributions to ESPN would have to believe he is enjoying himself on some level. Many former coaches have moved into commentary roles with major networks. A significant number of which have made mention to how much easier talking about football is when compared to coaching football.

As reported by AllSportsPeople in 2024, Nick Saban still receives a salary from Alabama, but in an advisory role. In addition, while it was not publicly revealed, one must believe ESPN is contributing a nice salary as well. Saban is not hurting from a lack of a coaching salary.

While sitting in Vanderbilt’s stadium, McAfee and Saban discussed the Vanderbilt program. Saban confirmed their financial commitment to the program, even pointing out facilities and structural details that were not there the last time Saban coached against Vanderbilt on the road. He also took a moment to react to Vanderbilt’s QB Deigo Pavia practicing the victory formation before the Alabama game.

“I love Diego, but that would’ve been a catastrophic player/coach relationship moment before the game. I never wanted our players to do anything, I wouldn’t even let them talk to the other team, I never wanted them to do anything that might affect the other team’s motivation to beat us.”

MORE: Stephen A. Smith declares college football's best rivalry is not in the SEC

Nick Saban, Steve Sarkisian

CFP National Championship
TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 09: Head coach Nick Saban (L) and offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian of the Alabama Crimson Tide stand on the sideline during the second half of the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game against the Clemson Tigers at Raymond James Stadium on January 9, 2017 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Saban's mind is made up, but he does need to worry about Miss Terry

Inevitably, the question of head coaching job openings was going to come up. Saban answered a direct question about the factors a coach should look for or be adamant about when accepting a new coaching job. Saban agreed NIL, recruiting base, the athletic director and president and their support, as well as the facilities, but he also confirmed that where a coach is from has little to do with it.

"The most important thing when you take a job is how do you set the ground rules going in," Saban said.

He painted an NIL picture with contributions coming from outside. Does the money come from people who now expect to have a say in how the program is run? 

“When I took a job, I’d say this is how it's going to be. I’m not listening to the Board of Trustees; they’re not telling me how to recruit or who to play. So, understand that going in, and tell them before I take the job, because I’m not listening. So, you need to set the ground rules for all those things.”

When pressed to address the elephant in the room, Saban was very clear about any future intentions surrounding a possible return to coaching. He is declarative about his stance on a return, but Miss Terry could be the X-factor if the coaching door is open at all.

In a previous College Gameday show, the idea of Saban to Penn State was brought up. Hilariously, Miss Terry (the boss) proclaimed, “I haven’t heard a number yet” adding immediate speculation to Saban’s actual availability.

Despite the humorous moment, Saban maintains that he’s happy staying retired.

“You know I want to stay retired. And I do not want him (Jimmy Sexton-Saban’s agent) anywhere near Miss Terry. Because when she hears some of these numbers, she gets interested. And I ain’t interested.”

McAfee ended the dialogue by asking only part of a question that Saban quickly responded to.

“At this stage…? McAfee asked. To which Saban replied, “no way."

Saban seems rather steadfast in where he sits with any future coaching opportunities, regardless of who comes calling. Like many coaches whose names are likely to be tied to open coaching jobs, Saban seems to be good right where he is.

Presently, there are 11 significant coaching vacancies that will have to be filled by someone. While athletic departments and media outlets begin to survey the landscape, most of these coaching searches won’t see substantive progress until during or after bowl season.

Until then, the speculation should be noteworthy. Even if arguably the best coach in college football history just removed his name from consideration.

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