Nick Saban could be making a return to the gridiron.
That’s what the Alabama coaching legend’s former quarterback and current ESPN commentator Greg McElroy floated Monday on his radio show, citing a “notable” source.
“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,” McElroy said Monday on “McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning,” where he was joined by Paul Finebaum.
“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.”
Saban, 73, retired from college coaching in January 2024 after 17 seasons at Alabama, where he won six national championships, and 28 years coaching college football.
He then pivoted to sports media, joining ESPN’s “College GameDay” a month later as an analyst.
Former Washington coach Kalen DeBoer was named Saban’s successor.
Although the idea of a Saban return is buzzy, both McElroy and Finebaum expressed doubt about the chatter, given the former coach is “literally having the time of his life.”
“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,” Finebaum said.
“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.”
Regarded as one of the best coaches in college football history, Saban finished his career with a 292-71-1 record and 11 SEC titles.
DeBoer recorded a 9-4 record overall in his first season at Alabama.