All Hogs

If Razorbacks landed big name coach, it probably won't be Saban

There is a popular pick if Arkansas has an opening they could make huge splash, but it has nothing to do with Alabama
Andy Hodges|
ESPN analyst Nick Saban before the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium.
ESPN analyst Nick Saban before the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

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Arkansas Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It began as a whisper on a Monday morning and quickly became the central storyline of SEC Media Days.

Arkansas fans couldn't resist floating the idea that if Nick Saban, college football’s most accomplished head coaches, actually returned to the sideline, it would be with the Razorbacks.

Don't count on it. But Razorbacks fans probably can have hope of another big-time name that has talked favorably about having an interest in the job in the past just might look at it again. We'll get to that.

The original idea, floated by former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy on his radio show, was simple but went viral and has set off rumors all over the place.

“A very much in-the-know person thinks Nick Saban will be coaching again,” McElroy said.

Within hours, the possibility of Saban’s return was spreading like wildfire. Hogs' fans can't resist these things and always justify they could actually land the best coach since Bear Bryant.

Saban, who retired in January 2024 after 17 seasons at Alabama and a record seven national titles, has publicly maintained a quiet profile since stepping away.

He cited the evolving landscape with transfer portals, NIL rules, and the mounting pressures of modern recruiting as reasons for his departure. But even Chris Low at ESPN, who broke the original Saban retirement story, doesn't think he's coming back anywhere.

Yet, the idea of a legendary competitor simply retiring rarely sits well with fans or colleagues and the Saban rumor mill has become a cottage industry in itself.

Razorback fans do have some justification in believing they could get into that conversation after John Tyson convinced his buddy John Calipari to leave Kentucky for the Hogs. Nobody saw that coming and didn't believe it until the press conference.

Maybe the biggest problem is basketball has been relevant much more recently that football. Arkansas has never won an SEC title since joining the league in 1992.

In 2010 and 2011, Bobby Petrino had his two best seasons piling up 21 wins but couldn't finish ranked higher than third in his own division after bowl games.

The Saban rumor of course became the talking point at Media Days in Atlanta. There's always something, it seems.

LSU’s Brian Kelly, when asked about the possibility, didn’t mince words.

“It’d be better for college football if Nick Saban is coaching. Period,” he said.

Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss' coach and a former Saban assistant, was even less vague in his normal manner.

“I don’t think he’s done,” Kiffin told reporters. “I think he’ll be back. Whether that’s college or NFL, I think he’ll be back.”

If Saban were to return, the question becomes where. Alabama, the program he turned into a dynasty, is off the table for most folks. Saban’s successor, Kalen DeBoer, is already in place and establishing his own identity.

College football is littered with high-profile programs searching for identity or redemption. Arkansas falls into both of those categories.

The speculation has zeroed in on five programs, each offering a different kind of challenge or poetic symmetry, but the Razorbacks aren't falling in there.

It's probably just one of those wild rumors. SEC Network's Paul Finebaum, a close observer of SEC politics for a few decades, has downplayed the rumors, suggesting that Saban is content in retirement and unlikely to return.

I've known Finebaum long enough that he'd be on this like a starving dog on a steak if there was something more to it.

McElroy himself later clarified that while he trusts his source, he would be shocked if Saban actually came back.

“There are people connected to the sports world that think he’s not done,” McElroy said, but he added, “I’d be shocked [if he came back].”

It is also worth noting that Saban’s own post-retirement behavior suggests someone enjoying a less stressful life—even if the competitive itch remains.

“The stress level… is down exponentially these days,” Saban told ESPN in a recent interview.

He has taken an advisory role at Alabama, earning $500,000 annually, and recently purchased a mansion on Jupiter Island, Fla Nobody makes those kind of moves planning a return to the grind of college football in Fayetteville.

A lot of coaches that step down come back doing something. Bob Stoops, for example, returned to the sideline after a brief retirement, first in the XFL and then in an interim capacity at Oklahoma.

Saban, now in his 70's, might be even less likely to return, but the sport’s constant evolution and the lure of one last challenge could prove tempting. The Razorbacks would meet that criteria.

Remember that name I said just might have a serious interest in the beginning?

Based on some recent social media doings, Jon Gruden just might be more interested now than he was when Petrino gone in 2013.

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Andy Hodges
ANDY HODGES

Sports columnist, writer, former radio host and television host who has been expressing an opinion on sports in the media for over four decades. He has been at numerous media stops in Arkansas, Texas and Mississippi.

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