Paul Finebaum Says Money Troubles Followed Nick Saban After LSU Stint

College football's winningest modern coach now owns luxury car dealerships, part of a boutique hotel in downtown Tuscaloosa and an oceanfront home in Florida. The financial picture looked nothing like that when he first arrived in the state, according to one of the sport's most recognizable broadcasters.

ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum, speaking on the "Dynastic" podcast with hosts Chuck Todd and J.A. Adande, said Nick Saban was still carrying losses from failed energy investments made during his five seasons at LSU when Alabama hired him in 2007.

Finebaum on Saban's LSU losses

ESPN television personality Paul Finebaum spoke about Nick Saban during a recent podcast appearance. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"Saban got in trouble in Louisiana," Finebaum said. "You don't see this reported very often. He got involved in some oil and gas deals that went bust. He didn't have money."

The West Virginia native coached LSU from 2000 to 2004 and went 48-16 in Baton Rouge, winning the 2003 BCS national championship with a 21-14 victory over Oklahoma in the Superdome. He left for the Miami Dolphins on Dec. 25, 2004, signing a five-year deal reported at roughly $5 million per year.

His return to college football came with less money up front. Alabama gave Saban an eight-year, $32 million contract in January 2007, which was a pay cut, with the new Crimson Tide coach earning about $3.5 million in his first season.

Saban's Alabama business empire

Mercedes-Benz rolled out two new SUV models that will be manufactured at the MBSUI factory in Tuscaloosa. Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius talks with former Alabama football coach Nick Saban as they stand in front of the GLE, the 5,000,000th vehicle made in Tuscaloosa. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"When you're the Alabama coach and you start winning quickly, you start finding deals," Finebaum said. "Today he owns a couple of Mercedes dealerships, which aren't easy to get."

That business started with a cold call. Saban phoned dealer operator Joe Agresti, whose Mercedes-Benz store in Baton Rouge ranked among the best-run in the country, and the two agreed to partner after a single long meeting.

Their Dream Motor Group took over a Mercedes-Benz dealership in Birmingham in 2014, expanded to Nashville in 2017 and built a second Birmingham-area store in 2018. The group later purchased two Mercedes-Benz dealerships in South Florida in a transaction valued at roughly $700 million.

Why Saban passed on Texas

ESPN College GameDay analyst Nick Saban during SEC Football Kickoff Media Day. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Money was never the sticking point when Texas came calling, Finebaum said.

"He told me afterward that he probably would have taken the job, but he did not want to have to answer to 15 different oil tycoon billionaires," Finebaum said.

Saban's agent, Jimmy Sexton, indicated during a January 2013 phone call that the coach would consider leaving Tuscaloosa for the Longhorns. Former Texas regent Tom Hicks described the conversation in an email, writing that Sexton confirmed Texas was the only job Saban would possibly consider and that his success in Tuscaloosa created particular pressure on him. Hicks said the call lasted 45 minutes and included Regent Wallace Hall Jr., and that he had lunch with Mack Brown two days later.

Brown resigned that December after an 8-5 season, and Texas hired Charlie Strong. The seven-time national champion has repeatedly denied the story, saying in November 2013 that no one had said anything like that to him, then telling his radio audience in 2022 that he never spoke with anyone at Texas and wasn't interested in the job.

Finebaum also said Louisiana's pull never fully faded. "He kept getting offers, but I think he realized, I'm in Alabama," Finebaum said. "I think his heart was still a little bit at LSU."

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