Nick Saban considered leaving Alabama after Kick Six, per report
The legendary Kick Six Game at Auburn was one of the most shocking moments in college football history, a point of pride for Auburn, and of humiliation for Alabama.
And it was around that time that Nick Saban thought of stepping away.
That's according to a book about the Alabama football coach by reporter John Talty, which says Saban almost left for a job at ESPN after the 2013 season.
The book reports that Saban asked Nick Khan, a sports media agent at CAA who represented many big-name media figures, to begin discussions with ESPN.
"When the season ended, Saban is said to have 'empowered Khan to reach out to ESPN with the message Saban was thinking about the next chapter in his career and considering whether media should be a part of that,'" according to the New York Post.
"Khan, now the co-CEO of WWE, then apparently set up a meeting in Pasadena, Calif., with Saban, his coaching agent, Jimmy Sexton (also of CAA), and Syracuse’s Athletics Director John Wildhack, who was then a senior executive at ESPN," the report continued.
"Saban is said to have 'zeroed in' on the possibility of joining ESPN’s College GameDay, and 'quizzed' Wildhack on a number of questions about life at ESPN, organizational structure, and if it was like 'working on a team' — a characteristic that was of much importance to Saban."
Ultimately, Saban stayed at Alabama, a move that helped further cement his legacy and that of the Crimson Tide, winning three more national championships and emerging as the dynasty of the College Football Playoff era.
Saban has won seven national titles in his career, the most of any coach in college football history, six of which have come at Alabama.
And both are favored to go all the way once again this season, as the Tide are set to emerge as the consensus No. 1 team in the preseason rankings.
But this report could give us a hint of what to expect from Saban once he does decide to leave Alabama for good.