College football media members and pundits officially have their biggest piece of offseason fodder. Fans and analysts alike have been buzzing after a recent report indicated that iconic head coach Nick Saban could be making a return to coaching. “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 — they seem to think Nick Saban is not done coaching… He’s pretty adamant that he thinks Nick Saban will be coaching again,” said Greg McElroy when he was recently a guest on the “Mac and Cube” show.
There hasn’t been a follow-up report to either confirm or deny the comments of McElroy’s source. Either way, everyone from SEC head coaches at media day to fans at home on the couch has chimed in on what Saban’s future might hold.
Is it possible that he makes a return to Alabama to take over as the Crimson Tide’s football coach once again?
Kalen DeBoer Will Be Fired By Alabama Football: Replaced By Nick Saban
Naturally, these reports have made people wonder if Alabama could opt to move on from head coach Kalen DeBoer if Saban is interested in making a return. In a recent article for Yahoo Sports, Jason Burgos outlined the possibility that Alabama would go back to DeBoer’s predecessor.
“Let’s be real. If Kalen DeBoer doesn’t show progress in his second season as the coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, the school’s decision-makers would jump at the chance to replace him with the man he replaced. Saban created an absurd standard for the program by winning six national championships in Tuscaloosa. The only person who could realistically maintain it would be the individual who set it,” wrote Burgos.
Should The Alabama Crimson Tide Move on From Kalen DeBoer?
As Burgos mentioned, Saban left Tuscaloosa with a pair of shoes that would be impossible to fill. Nobody expected the future head coach, who eventually became DeBoer, to maintain the standard that Saban had set. However, DeBoer still failed to meet the mark in his inaugural season.
The Crimson Tide finished the year with a 9-4 record under DeBoer. They notably dropped a game to Vanderbilt, were blown out by a struggling Oklahoma Sooners team, missed the 12-team College Football Playoff, and lost to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl. While last season was a disappointment, it’s far too early to say that DeBoer is fully on the hot seat. Perhaps he’s standing over it, but he hasn’t squatted down just yet.
Luckily, DeBoer followed up a tough first year with a strong performance on the recruiting trail, pulling in the third-ranked 2025 class. These reinforcements should help the Crimson Tide turn things around next season. Looking ahead to DeBoer’s second season, even if Alabama isn’t among the true championship contenders, it’s hard to imagine that the athletic department would pull the plug on DeBoer after just two years.
A five- or six-loss season and genuine interest from Saban could change things, but it’s hard to see everything lining up to where we see a reunion next year. While it’s far from crazy to think that Alabama could be a landing spot for Saban, Tuscaloosa seems far from the most likely destination, should he make a return.
