LSU Interim Athletics Director Shuts Down Nick Saban Rumors Amid Coaching Search

Verge Ausberry commented on the coaching search in Baton Rouge, silenced Nick Saban buzz.

Nov 9, 2019; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban reacts to an officials spot of the ball on a 4th down play during the second quarter against the LSU Tigers at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images | John David Mercer-Imagn Images

The LSU Tigers have stolen headlines across America this fall with the program navigating a chaotic stretch in Baton Rouge after parting ways with Brian Kelly.

Following the news of Kelly's departure, the LSU administration made the move to relieve athletics director Scott Woodward of his duties with a new era of LSU Football set to debut in the coming weeks.

In the midst of all the news, the rumor mill began swirling surrounding a potential return of college football icon Nick Saban to Baton Rouge.

But Saban's colleauge on ESPN's College GameDay, Kirk Herbstreit, quickly silenced the rumor mill on Tuesday.

“You couldn’t pull Nick Saban off the GameDay desk. ‘Coach, maybe this job!’ No. ‘What about this job?’ No,” Herbstreit said on his podcast, Nonstop. “Guys, you got to stop bringing up Nick Saban for all these. He’s not going anywhere. My man is enjoying his life.

Lee Corso, middle, talks to Kirk Herbstreit, right, and Nick Saban on the set of ESPN College GameDay prior to the NCAA football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Texas Longhorns at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“He told me, ‘For 50 years, I’ve been in a hurry. I’ve been late to something for 50 years.’ Now, he’s got Mercedes-Benz dealerships and Ferrari dealerships. … He’s the happiest he’s probably been in a long, long time; he and Miss Terry.”

Then, LSU's interim athletic director addressed the Saban speculation while on ESPN Radio on Tuesday where he also silenced the buzz.

Ausberry cleared the air that Saban is not returning to coach college football, but he talks with Saban every couple of weeks.

“No way he’s coming back to football. That’s not gonna happen. I think that has run its course,” Ausberry said.

The LSU coaching search has taken America by storm with the likes of Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin, Tulane's Jon Sumrall, and Vanderbilt's Clark Lea, among others, atop the betting lines to be the next coach.

Courtesy of LSU Football.

But one thing is now 100 percent clarified - Saban will not be back on the sidelines in Tiger Stadium in 2026 as he navigates his career with ESPN's College GameDay.

The LSU Head Coach Betting Lines [via BetOnline]:

1. Joe Brady (+300)
2. Lane Kiffin (+275)
3. Nick Saban (+400)
4. Clark Lea (+500)
5. Jon Sumrall (+700)
6. James Franklin (+700)
7. Dan Lanning (+700)
8. Eli Drinkwitz (+1400)
9. Brent Key (+1400)
10. Jimbo Fisher (+1800)

"We're going to hire the best football coach there is," Ausberry said on Friday. "That's our job. We are not going to let this program fail. LSU has to be in the playoffs every year in football. There's 12 teams that make it.

"It's going to expand here. We have to be one of those teams at LSU. No substitute."

More LSU News:

Elite LSU Football Commit Reaffirms Pledge Despite Ohio State, Ole Miss Pushing

Five Players LSU Football Must Keep After Brian Kelly's Firing, Including DJ Pickett

ESPN Insider Labels Lane Kiffin 'Top Target' for LSU Football, Florida Gators

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