While the topic that was expected to be the biggest talking point from SEC Media Days was the current teams on Day 1 of the event that was thrown out of the window. Before the start of SEC Media Days, Greg McElroy shared that "someone in the know" told him that Nick Saban may return to coaching.
This story sent everyone into a frenzy as they wondered whether or not it would be at the College level and if so which program he'd coach at. Practically every coach at SEC Media Days was asked about a return making it the story of the week.
While everyone makes their best guess as to whether or not Nick Saban would coach again, there are only a handful of people that can truly speak to what Nick Saban may be feeling. One of those people is former National Championship winning coach Urban Meyer. Every year Meyer's name is brought up about a darkhorse to take whichever job is available evn though he like Nick Saban has moved on to television as a host of Big Noon Kickoff.
Urban Meyer appeared on "The Herd" with Colin Cowherd where he gave his take on whether or not Nick Saban would return.
"You know, I have not talked to him about this. I would guess, because I know him fairly well and competed against him, that it’s not a little scratch, it’s probably a pretty big scratch. That’s the one area that he has not… you know, like you said, he was getting things going at Miami. I actually visited him while he was down there.Urban Meyer
I don’t think he would go back to college. I don’t see that fit. The whole idea that ‘where the heck is Alabama? Why are they not in the top 10 in spending’ I don’t understand that one. And coach (Kalen) DeBoer, I’d be asking some hard questions, say ‘What’s the problem here? We can’t compete, we can’t pay our players.’ So I agree with you."
After speaking on why Nick Saban most likely won't return to the College level, he did address the lone way he thinks Saban would return to a sideline.
"I would say very little to no chance he would get involved in college, but I think he would take phone calls from the NFL."Urban Meyer
If anyone can speak on the path Urban Meyer is laying out for Nick Saban it's Urban Meyer as he has very recently followed that same path. After retiring from coaching, Urban Meyer took some time off while being named a potential fit for any job that opened but, he never jumped at the chance to coach College again. When the NFL did come calling, Urban Meyer did not pass it up coaching the Jacksonville Jaguars for 13 games before being fired.
Nick Saban has made it clear that he doesn't like where College Football is amid all of these massive changes and until the boundaries are set he likely will have no interest in a return. The motivation for returning to the NFL would be the chance to prove he could've been a successful NFL Head Coach as his time in Miami is often held against him.
This entire season, Nick Saban will be followed closely as everyone will want to see whether or not he starts to eye jobs opening around the Country.