Nick Saban is the greatest college football coach of all time. Just over a year and a half ago, he hung up the play-calling sheet following the 2023 season, but he never left the world of college football.
Saban joined ESPN's College GameDay and was repeatedly suggested as the potential commissioner of NCAA football. However, now, instead of creating a new role for the GOAT, rumors are circling that Saban could step out of "retirement" to return to coaching.
REPORT: Greg McElroy said a person ‘in the know’ believes Nick Saban will return to coaching👀
— On3 (@On3sports) July 14, 2025
“If it wasn’t someone notable, I would never say a word.”
(via @macandcube)https://t.co/bWMfklaAqJ pic.twitter.com/A4JiDqS9mN
These rumors immediately fueled the idea that Saban could return to the college scene, taking over for any of a handful of programs that desperately need new leadership at the helm of their football program.
If Nick Saban isn't done, these programs would love to have him
How could you deny your program the chance to be led by the greatest of all time? Isn't that exactly what every sports fan dreams of?
IF Nick Saban were to get back into coaching...where would you like to see him??👀👀 pic.twitter.com/2eKfhR3E1C
— McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning (@macandcube) July 14, 2025
It would feel even better to have a coach like Saban step into a program that has been in a rut, especially with a head coach on the "hot seat" and at risk of losing their jobs anyway. These five programs would most likely do just about anything if Saban were willing to step into their head coaching positions.
Other than an elite recruiting class of 2026, Lincoln Riley's time with the USC Trojans has been beyond disappointing. For a program with the lineage and history that USC has, Riley's success level has been, quite simply, unacceptable.
With a history of coaches like John McKay, Pete Carroll, and more, it only makes sense for yet another National Championship-winning head coach to take hold of the reins.
Brent Venables took over the Oklahoma Sooners when they were (relatively, compared to their illustrious history) pretty good. He replaced Riley and has since driven OU football into the ground.
The Sooners now celebrate when they eke out a winning season, and a once-dominant offense can barely put up points against the rival Texas Longhorns. Saban could turn Oklahoma around in a heartbeat.
Luke Fickell entered his time at Wisconsin with big expectations looming overhead. Since then, he has led the Badgers to 13 losses and just 13 wins. To put it lightly, he is nowhere near the coach he was while leading the Cincinnati Bearcats; he simply doesn't have what it takes in the Big 10.
While Saban was an SEC coach through and through, he could directly translate his dominant knowledge of the game to a new conference and an entirely new program.
Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy has been on a downward spiral for the last two years. Despite leading the OSU Cowboys to an appearance in the Big 12 Championship in 2023, Gundy has lost control of his program.
While one of Gundy's biggest problems (an understanding of NIL deals) is also a problem that Saban has, the allure of playing for the GOAT would be enough to bring top talent into Stillwater.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. From going undefeated and boasting a pretty solid argument that he and the Florida State Seminoles should have been in the College Football Playoffs to winning just two games, FSU head coach Mike Norvell is on the brink of losing his job.
Similarly to the previous programs, Norvell simply isn't meeting the expectations set ahead of him, and a coach like Saban could step in to meet those expectations with the flick of a switch.