After the issue of whether former Alabama football coach Nick Saban could return to the coaching game dominated SEC media days earlier in July, the man himself was asked about the possibility on Friday. Speaking during an interview with Fox News, Saban directly addressed the prospect.
“No, I’m really happy with what I’m doing right now,” Saban said. “It’s exciting to still be involved in the game. It’s exciting for me to work with athletic directors, conferences commissioners, people in congress to preserve the integrity of our game and continue to be able to create opportunities to help young people create value for their future that will help them be successful in their life, which is what we always tried to do as a coach.”
Former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy said during media days that he had heard from someone “in the know” that Saban might not be done coaching. McElroy spend the rest of media days trying to put out the fire he had created, noting that he didn’t personally believe in the possibility.
Several coaches fielded questions about a potential Saban return while on the podium, with Lane Kiffin claiming he thought it could happen, and Kirby Smart calling it “scuttlebutt.” Saban’s daughter Kristen later made an Instagram post definitively shutting the door on her father coaching again.
During the Fox News interview, Saban was asked if Bill Belichick taking over at North Carolina could encourage him to become a coach again “if the right opportunity comes.”
“There is no opportunity that I know of right now that would enhance me to go back to coaching,” Saban said. “I enjoy what I’m doing. I did it for 50 years. I loved it. I love the relationship with the players. I love the competition. But it’s another station of life now. I enjoy what I’m doing right now. I want to continue to do it, spend more time with my family, my grandchildren, my children. And it’s been really, really good.” Saban is set to return to ESPN this coming football season for his second year on the network’s College Gameday program. In his first season as an analyst, he earned an Emmy for his work on the show.
