The rumor mill has been turning this week, since Greg McElroy hinted that Nick Saban is interested in returning to coaching.
On Monday (July 14), McElroy said that a source close to Saban told him the seven-time national championship-winning coach is looking into returning to coaching, a year after retiring from the sport.
Coincidentally, the news came as the SEC media days kicked off in Atlanta, Georgia, this week, and decision makers and insiders of the conference have been discussing the possibility. Among those asked about it was Georgia coach Kirby Smart, who had this to say:
“The boss (Miss Terry) at home will make that call for him, not him”
Kirby Smart on possibility of Nick Saban returning to coach: “I called & offered him (Will) Muschamp’s (analyst) job, but he was overqualified.” Smart said the decision will be made by “the boss (Miss Terry) at home will make that call for him, not him”
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 15, 2025
$80M worth Nick Saban (as per Celebrity Net Worth) famously defers to the judgment of his wife, Terry Saban, in key career and family decisions. Some reports point out that she had a significant say in Saban’s decision to step down from Alabama last year.
The rumor gathered even more momentum due to Nick Saban’s absence from the SEC media days. The SEC network didn’t name the legendary coach to his coverage team of the media days, which seemed to confound many in the world of college football.
Saban spent the last year as a college sports analyst for ESPN, mainly on their highly successful College GameDay show. However, his absence from the SEC media days would seem to signal he doesn’t see himself as a college football analyst in the long run.
Lane Kiffin on Nick Saban’s returning to coaching rumours
Someone else who got asked about the possibility of Nick Saban returning to coaching was Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin. While speaking on the SEC Network’s desk, Kiffin got asked directly if he would give any credit to the rumors, and it seems like he does:
“I did read that [McElroy] said that earlier today, and then they asked me a question and I’m like, ‘Yeah, he’s going to coach again. I don’t know if it’s college or NFL, but he’s gonna coach again.’ So he put that in my head and I repeated it. … But I have thought that,” Kiffin said on the SEC Network desk. “I thought it’d be probably one year in the media then back.”
“And I kind of thought it might be the NFL, just because he’s so sharp still. I just saw something yesterday where he was doing some interview. He’s so sharp and has the process so nailed of how to do it that I almost see it as a waste that he’s not coaching,” he added.
Other analysts have pointed out that it’s difficult to see a better fit for Saban than the one he already had with Alabama a couple of years back. So why would he be interested in returning to a different program?
However, seeing Nick Saban take a second shot at the NFL could be a worthy opportunity for him. It would be the reverse of Bill Belichick’s move to North Carolina.
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