When Nick Saban announced his retirement from coaching, it shocked everyone, as it seemed like he would coach forever, and his trip to the College Football Playoff proved he still had it. Part of the shock makes everyone believe that we may see Nick Saban return to the sideline yet, but there's a clear reason he won't return.
While Nick Saban never came out and said it, it's clear that the changes between the Transfer Portal and NIL didn't align with what he thought College Football should be. Until there's some changes made to better regulate both aspects, it seems impossible that he'd ever return to College Football.
Nick Saban's NIL comments explain his exit from Alabama
Ahead of their appearances on College GameDay, Nick Saban appears on the Pat McAfee Show to preview the weekend. On the latest Pat McAfee Show, Nick Saban laid out how NIL hurt the SEC while helping the Northern schools with Ohio State and Michigan winning the last two National Championships.
"I do think that the culture in college football right now, with name, image and likeness (NIL) and paying players money, has actually maybe hurt the SEC a little bit, and helped the schools up North, because if you’re making your decision about money, and someone is going to pay you more to go to Ohio State or Michigan or wherever it is – and I’m not complaining about that, that’s the way it is – then these kids are going to be more willing to move."Nick Saban
Nick Saban then tied it back to how it hurt a coach like himself or Kirby Smart and the other coaches in the SEC, as he cited the fact that kids now will go to where they're offered the most money, which took the recruiting advantage away.
"Kids are not growing up wanting to go to Alabama, wanting to go to Georgia, wanting to go to Florida, wanting to go to Texas. They want to go wherever to who is going to pay them the most money, so I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that, I’m just saying that culture (of college football) has changed, which I think has made the regional advantage that the Southeastern Conference has had for years is no longer an advantage."Nick Saban
The sentiment by Saban is true whether people want to claim he's complaining or not, as the Big Ten has started to recruit at the same level as the SEC, if not at a better level. How the next few seasons pan out will tell us the most, as if the Big Ten keeps signing stellar classes, the power could fully shift to that conference.,