Nick Saban was the most successful coach in all of college football before retiring over a year ago. However, that success might not be behind him just yet. According to former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy, Saban could be eyeing a return to the sidelines.
“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 — they seem to think Nick Saban is not done coaching,” McElroy said. “He’s pretty adamant that he thinks Nick Saban will be coaching again.”
It would be shocking if Saban came out of retirement, especially considering he’s now 74 years old. Still, it’s not unprecedented—North Carolina’s Bill Belichick recently returned to coaching at age 73, proving that in football, you can never say never. That said, Urban Meyer believes he won’t come back to college football.
Still, one possible path could bring Saban back to college football. If West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez were to step down, Saban might be a surprising but fitting replacement. Rodriguez previously told Josh Pate that Alabama wouldn’t have won its national championships if he hadn’t turned the job down.
“Where’s my trophy in Tuscaloosa? Where’s my statue outside there? Because if I had gone there you probably wouldn’t have those six national championships,” Rodriguez told Pate.
Saban also has personal ties to the area. He grew up just outside Morgantown, and a return home could allow the 74-year-old to play the role of hometown hero in his final coaching chapter. Sportsnaut’s Jason Burgos sees the potential for such a scenario.
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“It has been over a decade since West Virginia was consistently flirting with double-digit win seasons. But what if Saban went back home to turn the program into a major college football program? The coaching legend grew up a half hour from Morgantown in Fairmont, WV. Returning to his roots for his final job in the game would be a fascinating storyline and something we have seen with many legendary athletes at the end of their careers,” Burgos wrote.
West Virginia football hasn’t been nationally relevant in quite some time, and the arrival of a legendary coach could change that quickly. If Saban does choose to return for a few more seasons, coming home might be the perfect ending to a storied career.
