Nick Saban, the legendary Alabama football coach, is reportedly enjoying his retirement after stepping down last January. With an impressive record of seven national championships, including six with Alabama, Saban is often regarded as the greatest college football coach in history. Since retiring, he has quickly found success as a part of ESPN’s College GameDay and is set to contribute to the network’s NFL Draft coverage soon. Saban seems unlikely to return to coaching after holding his previous position for 17 years.
Despite this, the rumor mill continues to buzz, with programs and franchises still expressing interest in him, even if those conversations never progress past his agent, Jimmy Sexton. Recently, Saban appeared on the Pivot Podcast with Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor, and Channing Crowder, where he mentioned that while he doesn’t plan to return to coaching, if he did, it would be in the NFL. Saban has been vocal about his dissatisfaction with the current state of college football.
If Saban were to return to coaching, the NFL would be the most likely destination. He previously served as head coach of the Miami Dolphins for two seasons in 2005 and 2006 after a successful stint with LSU, before famously joining Alabama in 2007.
Former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton recently made a bold prediction on ESPN’s First Take, suggesting that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones might offer Saban an irresistible deal to become the team’s head coach and draft Arch Manning as their top pick. This speculation follows the Cowboys’ decision to promote offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to head coach, a controversial move given his experience as a career assistant.
While Cowboys fans might dream of tanking for a season to secure Manning and hire Saban, it remains unlikely. Dallas is not expected to perform poorly enough to land the top draft pick, and as previously mentioned, Saban seems content with his retirement. However, the idea of Saban coaching the Cowboys with Manning as his quarterback would certainly generate significant interest.
