Former Alabama coach Nick Saban would more likely return to the NFL than college football if he decides to coach again, according to On3’s Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman.
“I don’t believe that Nick Saban is going to come back to college football until there’s a firm set of rules, which is not going to happen before he turns 80, probably,” Staples said.
“This sounds like an NFL discussion to me,” Wasserman said.
The speculation started when Greg McElroy revealed on “McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning” that a trusted source believes his former Alabama coach is “not done” coaching.
“This is a little bit out of left field, but the question was asked of me … 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’s not done coaching. I had a similar reaction. He’s pretty adamant that he thinks Nick Saban will be coaching again. … Look, if it wasn’t someone notable, I’d never say a word,” McElroy said.
Finebaum doubts Saban’s coaching return
Paul Finebaum doesn’t believe the 73-year-old has any desire to return to coaching. He cited conversations with someone who spends time with Saban in Florida.
“Greg, you know Nick Saban better than I do, but I ran into somebody the other day who spends time with Saban in Florida – you can imagine where – and said that he is literally having the time of his life. And why wouldn’t he? I’m much closer to Nick Saban’s age than you are and I can assure you, when you have everything you want and you start playing golf at the best golf clubs in America and you start making friends who belong to even better golf clubs and you make a lot of money for doing very little work on TV, the interest in doing what he walked away from is not very high,” Finebaum said.
Finebaum pointed to Saban’s current lifestyle as evidence he won’t return to coaching’s demands.
“He had a better situation at Alabama the day he left than anywhere he goes, let’s say it’s next year. Now, I don’t know whether it’s college or pros – could he be talked into something in the NFL? I don’t know how, because I don’t know that itch burns anymore, either. But my opinion is Nick Saban is done in coaching.”
Saban currently works for the Alabama athletic department in an advisory role. He’s appeared on recruiting visits recently, though Kalen DeBoer remains the team’s head coach.
If Saban does consider an NFL return, he could monitor situations like Miami, where Mike McDaniel‘s job security remains questionable after his handling of Tua Tagovailoa‘s health concerns.
Saban coached Miami from 2005-2006 before returning to college football at Alabama, where he won six national championships.
