Ellis Ponder, often referred to as Nick Saban’s right-hand man, is set to leave the Crimson Tide after a decade-long association. Ponder joined the Alabama football staff in 2015 and quickly rose through the ranks. In 2017, he was the director of operations and was the associate AD to Saban by the end of his stint.
Saban, who had a legendary 16-year run with the Crimson Tide, has been in the news lately because of his rumored comeback. If he comes back to Alabama, he won’t find Ponder working there anymore.
As per AL.com, the UA associate athletics director for strategic operations will leave in August. So, what’s next for him? The report suggested that Ponder will join super agent Jimmy Sexton at CAA, a premier sports agency.
After Nick Saban left Alabama in 2023, retiring from coaching duties to be a full time sportscaster, Ponder continued with his role as the COO. He worked under the current Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer for a year. But now, his run has come to an end as well.
Ponder earned an undergraduate degree in business administration and a master’s degree in marketing from Alabama. So, even though he’s making a pivot in his professional career, Alabama and the Crimson Tide will always remain dear to him.
Nick Saban’s comeback rumors are on the rise
Nick Saban’s coaching career started in 1973 as a graduate assistant at Kent State. He stepped away from all coaching responsibilities in 2023. Now, at 73, he is rumored to make a comeback. But it’s likely that he’ll not go back to college football because of the NIL landscape.
During an appearance on FOX News, he said:
“I never really had any thought about getting into coaching until two days ago, when Ms. Terry said I had to run the sweeper through the entire downstairs. So while I was running the sweeper, the thought occurred to me that when I was coaching, I had a heck of a lot better job than this.”
He just refuses to miss
pic.twitter.com/5PMubtFomk— J.D. PicKell (@jdpickell) July 25, 2025
This was the closest he has come to addressing the rumors till now. Greg McElroy, Nick Saban’s former quarterback at Alabama, has also added to the heated rumors. Andy Staples, of Andy & Ari On3, took it a step further and compared the coach’s comeback to Michael Jordan.
“I think if Saban comes back, it’s more of a Jordan/Wizards situation than a second time around with the Bulls situation,” Staples said. “But he was a good player with the Wizards. It wasn’t Air Jordan, it was Fadeaway Jordan, and he was still good.” (23:33)
As a coach, Nick Saban still has a lot to offer. It can be proven otherwise only if he takes another offer and restarts his coaching career.
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