Nick Saban: Latest News, Rumors and Speculation on Alabama Coach's Future
With NFL head coaching jobs available, Alabama'sย Nick Saban continues to be a popular subject of rumors.
Continue for updates.
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Bucs Reportedly Will Discuss Saban
Tuesday, Jan. 12
Rick Stroudย of the Tampa Bay Times reported the Buccaneers "Will and have considered almost every [head coach], including Alabama's Nick Saban."
Colts Reportedly Were Interested in Hiring Saban
Sunday, Jan. 3
Prior to the decision to retain head coach Chuck Pagano, the Colts were expected to contact Saban, according toย Ian Rapoportย ofย NFL.com.
Rapoportย also noted Saban "always says no" when professional and otherย college football teams attempt to hire him, so the Colts may just be joining this "long list."
Saban Would Be Leaving Massive College Legacy Behind to Chase Pro Success
Saban would be leaving a premier job at Alabama, where he's gone 105-18 withย four national championships in nine seasons.
Saban spent two seasons in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins in 2005-06, going 15-17. But he reiterated before his team's College Football Playoff semifinal win over Michigan State that he was unlikely to leave the Crimson Tide.
"I don't see it ever happening, and I know every year somebody has me going somewhere else," Saban toldย Chris Lowย of ESPN.com. "I think a lot of it isn't just about the coaching part. What people don't understand is they forget you're a person. They forget you have a wife and two kids and a grandbaby, and they all live in Birmingham."
But given Saban's track record at the college levelย and the fact he would be a splashy hire, he remains appealing to NFL teams.ย And he may yet have an urge to prove he can coach in the NFL, as he said in an ESPN interview in September (viaย Michael David Smithย of Pro Football Talk),ย "If we'd had Drew Brees, I might still be in Miami."
Saban has maintained that during his tenure with the Dolphins, he wanted to sign Brees in 2006, but team doctors nixed the deal due to Brees' shoulder injury. The team instead traded for Daunte Culpepper, who appeared in only four games for Miami. Saban's comments suggest he feels he could have succeeded in the NFL if he'd had the right quarterback.
The question for Saban, then, will be whether he's willing to consider leaving the program and the life he's built in Alabama for the challenge of the NFL.
