Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban has reportedly taken the next step in his involvement in U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent plans to create a “college sports” commission.
The Crimson Tide legend reportedly met with Texas Billionaire Cody Campbell on Friday to discuss the proposal.
Nick Saban Meets With Texas Tech Donor Cody Campbell To Discuss College Football Commission
Several weeks ago, U.S. President Donald Trump flew to Alabama to deliver a speech at the school’s commencement ceremonies. While he has been a long-standing fan of the sport, his appearance generated buzz around a proposed committee on focused on reforming NCAA athletics.
Alongside him, the US President also brought Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville, who previously coached at schools like Ole Miss and Auburn, to Alabama to meet with Saban and discuss the problems plaguing the NCAA.
Nick Saban and Texas billionaire Cody Campbell met in person today to discuss the presidential commission on college sports, a source tells @CBSSports. The conversation was positive, and the expectation is Saban will be involved.
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) May 16, 2025
“Let’s put a group of people together and give me your best shot. ‘And, then after that, see what we can do,” said Saban per Tuberville’s report to CBS Sports.
“You’re going to eliminate 90 percent of schools because they don’t have the money,” Tuberville said. “Look at Texas. Nobody’s ever going to beat them again if we allow them to keep going the way they’re going. Again, I’ve got nothing against Texas; they’re going by the rules, but we’ve got to hopefully make it work out.”
According to CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello, the conversation was “positive, and the expectation is that Saban will be involved.”
Coach Saban Addresses College Sports Commission Rumors
When recently questioned about the potential of a college sports commission led by Pres. Trump, Saban refused to comment, claiming that he ‘does not know much about the commission.’
“To be honest with you, I don’t really know much about this commission. I don’t really know what the commission will do. I think we know what needs to be done; I just think we need to figure out who’s got the will to do it,” Saban explained.
“I learned one thing about coaching all these years: when you get a subject like this that’s very complex, it’s probably good not to talk about it off the cuff,” Saban explained.
With the recent reports from Marcello suggesting that Saban will be involved in the project, Georgia’s Kirby Smart discussed the idea, claiming that he strongly believes Saban is the man for the job.
“He’s certainly the right candidate because he knows the landscape. He’s very bright, and he’ll do the due diligence to be prepared for it,” Smart claimed. “I know President Trump is a big college football fan, I do know he cares, and I do know that Coach Saban cares.”
While no immediate plans are reported for the college sports commission to be formed, Nick Saban’s meetings with both Cody Campbell and Pres. Trump indicated there is clearly some work occurring behind the scenes.
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