The Nick Saban presidential era might not be coming to Washington, but it’s inching closer to Indianapolis. The former Alabama legend is reportedly being eyed for a leadership role in President Donald Trump’s proposed commission on college sports. A body that would attempt to untangle the legislative spaghetti of NIL, realignment, and athlete employment status. All this comes in the shadow of a stunning NCAA announcement that all but retires its amateurism enforcement muscle, signaling the rise of a new boss in town: the College Sports Commission. In one swift move, NCAA President Charlie Baker handed the baton to the power conferences. Now, the real question: who gets to run with it?

If you ask those watching the new enforcement blueprint unfold, the concern isn’t just who’s in charge—it’s whether anyone’s truly looking out for the players. On The Ruffino & Joe Show, co-host Joe DeLeone didn’t mince words. “The one thing that really draws my attention – and that’s the biggest red flag for me – is that schools can sign into these agreements like that’s no problem. They are representing themselves, their brands—if a coach does something, tampering, illegal payment to a player, whatever it is, they can handle that. But for the player side, they didn’t get a chance to negotiate this. No player did.” The problem goes deeper than missed signatures.

“And I don’t even truly understand how they would negotiate it because the ramifications for it is only four years long. How do you revisit collective bargaining agreements when these guys are in and out of school in 4-5 years?” DeLeone wasn’t finished. “I was saying that this perks up my attention because there is no CBA, there is no union, there is no union to keep this together,” he continued. “So that is what is a step that I brought up before. We need that, and we need federal legislation that grants the CSC power to allow them to deliver these punishments. Otherwise, it is the NCAA with extra steps—that is what we’ve just created.” The new college sports commission might look like a silver bullet, but if there’s no muscle behind the badge, it’s just more bureaucracy in cleats.

The fine print only adds to the intrigue. The ‘Membership Agreement’ that’s been quietly in the works since February would require power conference members to waive their right to sue the commission. A preemptive shield against rebellion. And with Tennessee’s recent Senate Bill clearing the way for in-state schools to thrive in the revenue-sharing era without fear of NCAA blowback, the dominoes are already tilting toward full conference autonomy.

But Nick Saban isn’t so sure this whole idea needs to exist at all. “I know there’s been a lot of stuff out there about some commission or whatever. I don’t think we need a commission,” Saban said at his Nick’s Kids golf tournament. “I’ve said that before. We know what the issues are. We just have to have people who are willing to move those and solve those, and create some solutions for some of those issues.”

That’s not to say he’s washing his hands of the process. “I’m all for being a consultant to anybody who would think that my experience would be beneficial to helping create some of those solutions.” It’s a statement that walks the line—Nick Saban doesn’t want a title, but he’s not ready to walk away from the table either. His message hasn’t changed much. On The Paul Finebaum Show, he doubled down: “First of all, I don’t know a lot about the commission. Secondly, I’m not sure we really need a commission.” In classic Saban fashion, he prefers action over apparatus.

Ironically, if this commission does move forward under Trump’s proposal, it won’t just be about NIL and tampering. It’ll look at everything from media contracts to transfer portal chaos to how the College Football Playoff ballooned to 16 teams—something the insiders quietly frowned upon. But ask Saban? He’d tell you it’s about time.

Nick Saban switches sides

The GOAT backs a bigger playoff field, not quite like Matt Rhule though. Nick Saban hasn’t always been Team Playoff Expansion, but it looks like the legendary coach turned ESPN analyst is officially flipping the script. The longtime defender of bowl game tradition now sees the value in widening the CFP — and he’s not afraid to say it.

“I was never for expanding the playoff because I thought bowl games were really important to the history and tradition of college football,” Saban admitted. But as the sport keeps evolving, even the GOAT can change with the times. “Now that we have expanded the playoff, the bowl games have taken a less significant role. So I think expanding the playoff and having as many teams involved as we can without playing too many games for the players, I think that’s a little bit of a concern, that’s probably a good thing.”

You read that right — Saban now sees the benefit in giving more teams a shot at the big stage, especially as the playoff moves from 12 teams (which just debuted last season) to possibly 14 or even 16. That’s the hot topic among Power Four commissioners, who met recently to discuss future expansion.