When Nick Saban announced his retirement at the end of the 2023 college football season, it truly came as a shock given the fact that he was the pinnacle of the sport and as long as he was coaching his program would be on the short list of teams competing for the National Championship. It’s almost impossible to believe that Nick Saban will never coach again even if he doesn’t love the current model of College Football.
At SEC Media Days, Greg McElroy ignited the rumors that Nick Saban may return to the sidelines saying that “someone in the know” believes Nick Saban will return to coaching.
"If it wasn’t someone notable, I would never say a word."Greg McElroy
If Nick Saban chooses to return to the sidelines it won’t be for any regular program, it’ll have to be a program with prestige and history along with the resources to compete in this NIL era. If Alabama isn’t able to facilitate a potential return, one program makes more sense than anyone else.
Insert the LSU Football program, where Nick Saban got his legacy started winning a National Championship for the LSU Tigers. Saban spent just 5 years at LSU before bolting to the NFL but won a pair of SEC Championships and a National Championship in that time.
Why Nick Saban returning to LSU makes sense
Returning to LSU would make sense for Nick Saban as it would give him a chance to truly close out his career where his run as one of the greats began. Saban has done nothing but speak fondly of the Tigers since his retirement, even calling his move to leave LSU a mistake.
When you look at the current state of the program and the job could come open in the near future. Brian Kelly hasn’t lived up to the expectations to this point failing to reach the College Football Playoff throughout his 3 seasons. After the program went all in on the transfer portal and NIL a failure this season could end Kelly’s run at LSU opening the door for Nick Saban.
While LSU isn't known for being one of the biggest players in the NIL world, hiring Nick Saban could flip the script. It's hard to imagine a better way to get full buy-in from the boosters and those around the program giving LSU a chance to become a powerhouse in the NIL space.
Why Nick Saban returning to LSU will probably never happen
The most likely scenario is that Nick Saban will never coach again especially at the College level. It's clear that Nick Saban isn't fond of the way College Football has headed in this NIL and Transfer Portal era which weighed into the fact that he stepped away from a dynasty in Tuscaloosa. The only chance College Football has of getting Nick Saban back into the fold is by establishing set rules which likely won't happen for at least 5 years.
In a scenario where Nick Saban does decide he wants to coach next season the LSU job may not even be open. While Brian Kelly can underperform expectations in 2025, his buy out will still be massive and may be a number LSU may not want to pay and then give a massive salary to Nick Saban. There's also the factor of the fact that a school hiring Nick Saban would have to acknowledge that it's only a short term solution given his age.
The only way we may see Nick Saban coaching once again could be if he decides he wants to try his hand in the NFL one more time. The NFL is the only failure on Nick Saban's legacy and a return to the NFL could help him prove that he could've succeeded in the right situation. In the NFL, Saban wouldn't have to deal with recruiting in a world ruled by NIL and he'd have a General Manager to lean on to build him the most ideal roster.
The LSU Football program may be the program that makes the most sense aside from Alabama but, in the end, the Tigers likely don't have a shot.