“I didn’t want to stop working,” Nick Saban states. With almost four decades on the sidelines, having established Alabama as a college football powerhouse and won six national titles, Saban shocked the sporting world in January 2024 with his announcement of retirement. But as it transpired after Saban acknowledged it, retirement was not so much his heart’s desire. “I love coaching. But I also wanted to try new things. ESPN gave me a chance to stay close to football,” Saban added on the Pure Athlete podcast. To fans, seeing Saban when he’s unstressed and away from the hustle is odd and endearing.

Certainly, joining ESPN’s College GameDay was a comfortable fit for him, allowing him to stay close to the game he loves and keep his football thinking sharp. He also dabbled in business endeavors, such as with Mercedes-Benz dealerships, a testament to his years-long association with the company. But maybe the most news-making transition was when Saban was called upon by the government for a key role. President Donald Trump made a surprise announcement that a new committee would oversee and revise college athletics. Saban was right in the middle of it, appointed to a commission charged with defining the future of college sports and assisting in guiding NIL policy.

Even with all the fishing excursions and TV guest spots, a question that simply won’t die persists: Will Nick Saban ever truly finish coaching? The rumors won’t cease. Former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy told Paul Finebaum not long ago that a well-connected college football insider is confident Saban isn’t done. The coaching bug could still be in his system, particularly after his last game came up two yards short of another opportunity at a national championship. Now that Saban’s mentor, Bill Belichick, is coaching at North Carolina, the notion of a return to the sideline isn’t as outlandish. The SEC Media Days were abuzz with rumors, and fans began fantasizing. Could the GOAT return for one final ride?

But before Alabama fans had a chance to begin daydreaming about Saban taking the sideline again, Paul Finebaum intervened and shut down the hype train with a loud “no.” Finebaum grounds his opinion in reality. It’s hard to picture Saban coaching anywhere other than Tuscaloosa, and with Kalen DeBoer already recruiting like a well-oiled machine and acclimating as Alabama’s head coach, the door doesn’t appear ajar for a Saban return.

Sure, expectations are always through the roof at Alabama, and if DeBoer ever makes a mistake and fails to make the College Football Playoff again, you can wager the rumors will become only crazier. But would Saban be ready to get back into the madness at 74 years old?

Paul Finebaum’s firm ‘No’ to Nick Saban’s ‘return’?

The SEC’s resident rumor killer, Paul Finebaum, is a man who’s spent three decades reading the tea leaves of college football. Finebaum didn’t bat an eye and thoroughly debunked the rumors regarding Saban’s comeback. In Finebaum’s estimation, the notion of Saban returning to the sidelines is fantasy rather than fact. “I think the solution to college football is you need to quit wasting time being on TV and you need to be what everybody in my business has suggested,” said Finebaum. “You need to be the czar of college football. If you agree to that right now, we can solve a lot of problems.”

Finebaum’s reasoning is straightforward: Saban has nothing further to prove, and the grueling of contemporary college football with its constant NIL theatrics and transfer portal madness isn’t precisely the type of test that would entice him back at his age. Finebaum’s position is steadfast, even amid the rumor mill. He has listened to all the rumors, all the “insider” chatter, and he is not yet persuaded. He has gone on record to say that they should abandon the dream of Saban returning and enjoy what he accomplished during his storied tenure.