The entirety of the SEC has descended upon its home base in Atlanta this week for SEC Media Days, but on the first day of the three-day event, it was a coach who no longer works in the league dominating the minds of all in attendance .. and all because of something his former quarterback said.
Ex-Alabama QB Greg McElroy dropped a bomb Monday morning during his radio show, “Mac and Cube,” in Birmingham. According to McElroy, Saban returning to the sideline might not be out of the realm of possibility.
“A very much in-the-know person that I have a lot of respect for and have spent a lot of time around, and just really, really admire — they seem to think Nick Saban is not done coaching,” McElroy said, according to 247Sports. “He’s pretty adamant that he thinks Nick Saban will be coaching again.
“If it wasn’t someone notable, I would never say a word. He is of firm belief that Nick Saban will coach in college football again.”
Greg McElroy cites ‘notable’ source is adamant that Nick Saban will coach college football again
Jordan Dajani
Do I believe Nick Saban will return to coaching in 2026? I certainly do not, but that’s not going to stop me from having fun with the idea, because what if I’m wrong? Seriously, I’ve been wrong before; it could happen again, no matter how unlikely it seems. So, if Nick Saban decided spending time next to Pat McAfee or Kirk Herbstreit’s dog was too unbearable and hung up the microphone for his old headset, which school should serve as the landing spot?
That’s a great question. One only I could have the foresight to both ask and answer. So, without further ado, here are the five jobs Saban should target, from least desirable to most.
The first thing people say to discount the idea that Nick Saban would return is that he’s too old. He’ll be 74 this October. Well, so what? North Carolina hired Bill Belichick this offseason, and he turned 73 in April.
We can elect a 78-year-old man to be President of the United States, but a 74-year-old can’t coach a college football team? Granted, coaching a college football team is far more important a job than president, but regardless, I won’t stand for these ageist notions. I say that with advances in medical science, 74 is the new 64, and if Nick Saban thinks he’s still got it, he’s still got it.
So, why not take over at North Carolina next season when Bill Belichick returns to the NFL? I mean, the last two coaches they’ve hired in Chapel Hill had an average age of 70.5 when hired. Saban’s right in their wheelhouse.
While North Carolina might have experience with experience, they don’t have the same kind of money cannon needed to compete at the top level of college football these days. If Nick Saban is coming back, he ain’t doing it to go 7-5. He’ll want resources and a strong local recruiting base to build a program and compete for titles.
We certainly know Texas Tech has the money. They’ve been splashing the cash like an 18-year-old celebrating his birthday at a strip club. What Texas Tech doesn’t have at the moment is the name-brand credibility that will get them immediate access to the VIP section. They’ve got to overpay slightly to get that.
Enter Nick Saban. You think anybody is making Nick Saban stand in line to get in? Hell no, that velvet rope is opening and he’s walking right into the best booth they got, one with the Cristal on ice waiting for him.
Who’s up for watching Nick Saban restore a fallen giant to glory? Think of the storyline. The man whose program kept Florida State out of the College Football Playoff two years ago, causing the Seminoles to descend into such a deep depression that they convinced themselves D.J. Uiagelelei was the solution to their problems, offered an apology by offering to save them.
I’m getting tears in my eyes just thinking about it. What a great man Saban would be to take on this charity case.
We know the program can compete for national titles, and the turnaround probably wouldn’t take too much time considering the wiggle room offered by the ACC, where the only true threats are Clemson and Miami (and considering Miami has never won the league, are they truly a threat?). My concern here would be financial. How much money would the ‘Noles have given the ACC’s financial situation and the buyout they’d have to pay to make Mike Norvell go away?
Also, a fun little side effect if this did happen: Saban would get the chance to officially fire Gus Malzahn. You know there’s part of him who would appreciate that after some of those Iron Bowl tussles.
Saban never conquered the Big Ten. He spent 22 seasons as a coach in the SEC, won 11 SEC titles and seven national championships. But, in five seasons at Michigan State, he won more than seven games in a season only once. He went 23-16-1 in conference play. You know it eats at him. You know he wants the chance to prove to the world that he’s not a system coach who is only capable of winning in the SEC. He can win in the Big Ten, too!
Though probably not at Michigan State. Thankfully, it’s not totally out of line to think the Michigan job could be open next offseason should things not go to plan in Sherrone Moore’s second season. It’s a blue-blood program that’s won a recent national title, has a 5-star QB in Bryce Underwood and has the financial backing to continue making waves.
It’s a turn-key operation. It’s a much more attractive situation than a longer-term project like Texas Tech or Florida State would be.
I couldn’t help but laugh during Brian Kelly’s press conference Monday at SEC Media Days as Kelly was asked about the possibility of Saban returning to coaching.
“It’d be better for college football if Nick Saban is coaching. Period,” said Kelly. “There’s nobody better to develop players and certainly build championship programs… It’d be a great day if he was back in it.”
Kelly does realize that if Saban actually did return to coaching, he’s the man Saban is most likely replacing, right? Am I the only one who sees this as obvious? Every other school I’ve mentioned presents Saban the opportunity to compete for or win national titles, but LSU is the only school other than Alabama that Nick Saban has won a national title at. He doesn’t need to envision it here. He has the recipe.
Plus, if there’s a school out there willing to make a move like this, it’s LSU.
Nothing about the idea of Saban returning to coach makes sense to me, except it makes perfect sense that Saban would return to LSU.
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