Nick Saban shuts down coaching rumors again

Nick Saban has made it pretty clear that he wants to stay retired. Apparently, that message still hasn’t gotten through.

The former Alabama coach appeared on The Pat McAfee Show on Friday and once again shot down any speculation about returning to coaching. This time, the question centered on the massive salaries being thrown around as high-profile Power Four schools look to fill their vacancies.

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

McAfee then brought up Penn State specifically. The Nittany Lions fired James Franklin two weeks ago, and Penn State fans have spent the past two weeks convinced Athletic Director Pat Kraft should throw whatever money it takes at Saban. Joel Klatt even suggested on The Herd that Kraft should make Saban his first call in the coaching search, just to make sure it’s not happening before moving down the list.

“No way,” Saban told McAfee. “I have so much fun working with you. Why would I go do that?”

This isn’t the first time Saban has shut down coaching rumors since his retirement following Alabama’s 2023 season. Last week on College GameDay, McAfee asked Miss Terry whether the two would consider moving to State College if Penn State offered a certain dollar amount.

“Look, Pat, I have no doubt if Nick wanted to go back to coaching, he could win his eighth national championship,” Miss Terry said. “But we’re having too much fun, and we wouldn’t want to take that opportunity away from all of our baby coaches, like Kirby (Smart) and Lane (Kiffin). I haven’t heard a number yet, Pat.”

But here we are, still talking about whether Nick Saban will come out of retirement.

The Nittany Lions aren’t alone in their search. Florida, Arkansas, Virginia Tech, and UCLA are all looking for coaches, too. By every measure, Saban would be at the top of anyone’s list if he actually wanted to coach again. But he’s also 73 years old and retired specifically because he didn’t want to deal with NIL, the transfer portal, and everything else that comes with modern college football.

It’s also worth noting that Saban called James Franklin’s firing “unfair as hell” on College GameDay last weekend. Franklin went 104-45 in 11-plus seasons at Penn State and led them to the Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, and College Football Playoff. Those are excellent numbers by any standard. Saban’s defense of Franklin doesn’t exactly read like someone angling for his old job.

Nine schools have already made coaching changes this season, including six in Power 4 conferences. Collectively, those schools are on the hook for about $116 million in buyouts. Penn State is paying Franklin $49 million just to go away. That’s the second-largest buyout in college football history, behind only Jimbo Fisher’s $76 million exit from Texas A&M.

Those kinds of numbers apparently aren’t enough to get Saban back on the sidelines. He’s spent most of his retirement tour complaining about NIL and the current state of college football anyway. Earlier this week, he told ESPN’s Mark Schlabach that the recent string of coaching firings is happening because NIL donors think their money gives them a voice in personnel decisions.

“You know, I’m not (surprised) because everybody’s raising money to pay players,” Saban said. “So, the people that are giving the money think they have a voice, and they’re just like a bunch of fans. When they get frustrated and disappointed, they put pressure on the (athletic directors) to take action, and it’s the way of the world.”

None of that sounds like someone eager to jump back into college football.

Saban is clearly enjoying his role as a College GameDay analyst. He gets to talk football without dealing with recruiting, NIL negotiations, or portal management. He can defend coaches like Franklin without worrying about his own job security. And most importantly, he gets to spend time with Miss Terry without Jimmy Sexton calling about the next big opportunity.

So yes, Nick Saban could theoretically come out of retirement and win another national championship. But the man has told us repeatedly that he doesn’t want to. Maybe it’s time everyone quit asking.