It's a big "if."
But if Nick Saban returns to coaching, it'd have to be for a major job.
The Athletic's Stewart Mandel lays out three criteria Saban would want:
- A place where you can win big
- A location where you can dominate recruiting
- A school with passionate fans
And then, Mandel makes his pitch: Oklahoma.
Here's what Mandel has to say about the Sooners:
You can win BIG at Oklahoma. You have zero recruiting competition in your own state. Yes, you have to go into Texas and compete with those guys, but he had to go into Florida’s and Georgia’s backyards all the time at Alabama. Oklahoma has sold out 159 consecutive home games (excluding 2020).
Most notably: The program’s new general manager, who is considered parallel to the head coach on the organization chart, is former Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy, a longtime NFL scout who I’d imagine spent a lot of time in Tuscaloosa over the years, given all of Saban’s annual prospects. Not to mention, he spent seven years working for a mutual acquaintance of theirs: Bill Belichick.
To be clear, I am by no means predicting this to happen. In fact, Brent Venables will have a big turnaround year with quarterback John Mateer and remain standing in 2026. But he’s on the hot seat for now, so it’s worth considering.
Not quite a long-time conference rival, but still.
If Saban returned to the SEC to join the Sooners, it'd be quite the notable move. It could shake up the entire balance of college football.
A big "if," for sure, though.
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