College football coaches around the country breathed a sigh of relief when Nick Saban announced his retirement in January.
But anyone who thought the greatest college football coach in history could quit the game cold turkey was kidding themselves.
And now Nick Saban has the college football world shell-shocked over this major retirement reversal.
College football is coaching oriented
No head coach in the history of college football has dominated the sport quite like former Alabama head coach Nick Saban.
Over his 28 years on the sidelines, Saban accumulated a jaw-dropping winning percentage of over .800 – the highest of any coach who had as long of a career as he enjoyed – while leading his teams to seven National Championships, the most of any coach in history.
He built his programs into literal machines that avoided the typical rebuilding years every other college football program experiences by simply reloading with future NFL Draft picks year after year.
In fact, from October 2015 through September 2023, the Saban-led Alabama Crimson Tide set a record for being ranked inside the top 10 of the Associated Press college football rankings for 128 consecutive weeks.
So needless to say, when news broke that Saban was retiring from coaching back in January, college football coaches around the country were jumping with joy.
But their celebrations may have been a little premature.
Nick Saban takes new job
When Saban’s retirement was announced by Alabama, the University indicated that while he was stepping away from coaching, he would continue to be involved in the athletic department in some capacity.
Now, the Tuscaloosa News is reporting that Saban has actually been in his new role since March 1, unbeknownst to anyone outside of Alabama.
The outlet’s report indicated that Saban’s official title with Alabama’s Athletic Department is now simply “professional.”
What the role of “professional” actually entails, no one really knows.
Of course, at this point, the Hall of Fame head coach could come up with whatever job description he wanted for himself, and Alabama fans wouldn’t bat an eye after the success he’s had.
Nevertheless, Alabama Athletic Director Greg Byrne has reportedly referred to Saban’s role as an “advisor” moving forward.
Furthermore, the report indicated that Saban also now has a new office inside Bryant-Denny Stadium and that he’ll be paid an annual salary of $500,000.04.
Obtained documents with details about Nick Saban’s new compensation in his new role at UA. His salary is now $500,000.04. More soon @tuscaloosanews
— Nick Kelly (@_NickKelly) June 27, 2024
No matter how you slice it, keeping Saban’s mere presence around the football program will be a big boost for the Crimson Tide moving forward.
With the current roster – not to mention the program’s recruiting targets – adjusting to life under new head coach Kalen DeBoer, having Saban around and a part of the program will go a long way towards getting the players to buy into the change.
At the same time, Alabama’s gain is the rest of the SEC – not to mention the country’s – loss.
Being able to turn to the greatest college football coach in history anytime DeBoer or anyone else at Alabama is struggling will be a huge asset.
And most importantly, with Nick Saban still involved at Alabama, there’s still a chance someone could potentially entice him out of retirement and back onto the sidelines down the road.
