Could Nick Saban return to coaching? The talkin’ season rumor mill says maybe

Former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy says Nick Saban might not be done coaching, sparking rumors, speculation and fun questions at SEC Media Days.

Nick Saban and family are honored at halftime with the renaming of the playing surface as Nick Saban Filed at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Terry Saban puts her head on Nick Saban’s shoulder during the ceremony. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Talking season is in full swing with the college football season less than two months away.

There may be no better sign of that than the “scuttlebutt” that’s come out recently about Nick Saban, easily one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, returning to coaching.

“Yeah, I called and offered him Muschamp's job but he was overqualified, so he wasn't interested,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Tuesday during his SEC Media Days appearance. “I heard all the scuttlebutt and everything about it. I almost laughed. It was like somebody needed something interesting to talk about yesterday.”

That somebody was former Alabama quarterback and current ESPN analyst Greg McElroy.

“This is a little bit out of left field, but the question was asked of me … a very much in the know person that I have a lot of respect for and have spent a lot of time around and just really, really admire,” McElroy said on his “McElroy & Cubelic in the Morning” podcast. “They seem to think Nick Saban’s not done coaching. I had a similar reaction. He’s pretty adamant that he thinks Nick Saban will be coaching again. … Look, if it wasn’t someone notable, I’d never say a word.”

To make things even more interesting, McElroy said this with Paul Finebaum on the podcast (who responded with a “no” when asked about it).

It’s not an entirely implausible possibility. In fact, back when Saban introduced President Donald Trump at a rally in Tuscaloosa, Ala. a few months ago and there were rumors about Saban leading a presidential commission to address key issues in college sports, that was my initial reaction.

Saban’s retirement was abrupt, in this writer’s opinion, and nothing anyone says will ever remove the possibility of the current college sports landscape having a role in that decision. When the rumors and speculation emerged about Saban leading a commission, it wasn’t hard to make the leap from that to Saban changing the landscape to a point he’d be comfortable enough to walk back onto a sideline.

That presidential commission hasn’t come to fruition (and, hopefully, never will because I really don’t want sports and politics to crossover more than it already has), but the possibility of Saban returning to coaching hasn’t gone away.

Will he? Won’t he? Who knows? But since it’s talkin’ season, and that’s mostly what we do, let’s have some fun.

What colleges would Saban most likely go to?

Below is pure speculation and there will be some fun, wildcard-like teams included. There will also be some logic used. Saban isn’t going to replace Smart at Georgia or Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss or Dabo Swinney at Clemson. Vanderbilt fans aren’t likely to be very welcoming to Saban coming to Nashville and Auburn, well, that one is kind of obvious. Let’s also go ahead and consider that Saban has spent most of time as a head coach in the southern part of the country. So, Big Ten schools are out.

For the Mississippi State fans still reading this, apologies in advance for not including the Bulldogs. Another record-setting fundraiser year in the upcoming fiscal year 2026 won’t be enough to make that happen. Just focus on going to Omaha instead.

Alabama

This is the most likely outcome. Even if the Crimson Tide go undefeated and win a national title, Saban returning to Tuscaloosa would be welcomed more than Chic-Fil-A announcing it will begin to be open on Sundays. And if the Crimson Tide don’t make the College Football Playoff again, that likelihood will skyrocket. Along with the amount of prayers from the Crimson Tide’s fanbase.

But returning to Alabama wouldn’t enhance Saban’s legacy that much. Right now, only Saban and Urban Meyer have won national championships at two different colleges. If Saban wants to truly establish himself as the greatest of all time (and he’s got a great argument already for that title without needing to even show up on ESPN’s GameDay), he should go win a national title at a third college.

LSU would be an interesting option, but defeats the point of this exercise, so you won’t find the Tigers listed below. (Editor’s note: There’s a point to all of this?)

With that in mind, here are the schools I think Saban could realistically end up at.

Texas A&M

Remember the feud Saban and Jimbo Fisher had a couple years ago? What better way to win that feud once-and-for-all than to go to College Station and say, “Hey Jimbo, remember that thing here you couldn’t do? Here’s how it’s done.”

Miami

Saban’s first foray to South Beach didn’t go so well, but a possible second one could be a lot more successful. Saban could establish himself as the GOAT and return a popular college football program to glory, which is what he did at Alabama. Who else has done that twice?

SMU

Here’s the wildcard. SMU made the playoffs last season and could do it again (they keep doing it my EA College Football 26 seasons). If the Mustangs go one-and-done again, or come up short like Alabama did last season, would SMU look to make a change?

SMU isn’t in the SEC, but’s in Dallas and has plenty of money available. What got SMU the “death penalty” is now legal. Also, we’d get to see Saban go head-to-head with Bill Belichick. You know you want to see that.

Texas

If Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns don’t win a national championship with this defense (and the quarterback with a famous last name), questions will be asked about what it’ll take to get over the hump. And there aren't too many schools with more money than the Longhorns despite an instate rival challenging the Longhorns on that front.

Texas Tech

At this point, with the huge NIL collective the Red Raiders have, anything is possible because they have the money to make it possible. Plus, we’d get to see Saban go head-to-head with Deion Sanders.

And that’s my list (unless Florida State finds a way into the SEC). Could Saban return to coaching at a school not listed above? Absolutely. Could he stay retired and make this entire column pointless? Absolutely.

But it’s talkin’ season and, well, it the media’s time to shine.