"You Need to Set the Ground Rules," Nick Saban on Building a Program

Amid a multitude of both current and potential job openings, the former Crimson Tide coach sat down with "The Pat McAfee Show" to discuss what is most important to a coach when taking a new job.

Dec 2, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban leaves the field after defeating the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images | John David Mercer-Imagn Images

At just over the halfway point of the 2025 college football season, job openings across the country have begun to pop up. Schools like Penn State, Florida, Arkansas and many more have already kicked their coaches to the curb in search of a spark to turn around a disappointing start to the year.

While former Alabama head coach Nick Saban is a name that has been tossed around by many as a potential option for several of the current openings, he all but confirmed in an appearance on College GameDay that he is not interested in returning to the profession.

Still, the former coach joined ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" this week to provide his perspective for any coaches who are looking to make the leap to a new school.

Saban laid out what is most important to consider when looking at taking over a program, saying, "I think the most important thing when you take a job, is 'How do you establish the ground rules going in?'"

He continued, "You've got all these people giving money, so that you can pay players, but does that come with them having some influence on what happens in the program, or how you coach your team?"

Saban opened up on his own attitude when taking a new job, saying further, "When I took a job, I said I'm not listening to the board of trustees, they're not telling me who to recruit, they're not telling me who to play. So understand that going in, and tell them before you take the job because I'm not listening to that bull----."

He continued, "I didn't want to have to deal with that. So, you need to set the ground rules for all those things. What is name, image and likeness going to be like here? How is our administration going to be involved?"

"Facilities are important... But if you don't have any money to pay the players, they aren't coming. So, all those things are a factor, but I think establishing the ground rules before you get there is the most important thing," Saban said.

While these could potentially sound like the words of someone who misses his time on the field, Saban also made sure to shut down the rumors once more, telling McAfee, "I want to stay retired... When Miss Terry hears some of these numbers she gets interested, but I'm not interested."