News of Nick Saban’s retirement stunned college football fans, media types, and others around the country on Wednesday. After seventeen seasons in Tuscaloosa and a coaching career dating back to 1974, Saban decided the time was right to retire.
Saban’s Crimson Tide made numerous College Football Playoff appearances and won nine SEC Championships and six national championships. Suffice it to say, he’s the greatest head coach of his generation and certainly one of the best in college football history.
So now, what’s next? Will we never see Saban again after Alabama’s loss to eventual national champion Michigan? Or is this a new beginning?
Coaches getting into media is about as customary as it gets. The sport doesn’t matter; coaches or managers have a role in the sports broadcasting marketplace. They represent authority, have first-hand knowledge of situations most people can’t offer, and are often pretty good at the job. This isn’t surprising. Coaches are often charismatic figures. It would be best if you had ounces of charisma to recruit in FBS college football.
So, would Saban think about broadcasting? Well, it’s not like it’s unfamiliar territory. He’s appeared on ESPN before during the network’s coverage of the College Football Playoff (at least while Alabama wasn’t involved in the proceedings).
https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1612610334422085633
Saban also made frequent appearances this past season on ESPN’s ‘Pat McAfee Show.’ The Alabama head coach had a weekly TV spot on the show, and to Saban’s credit, it certainly played a lot better than… that other guy’s. It’s fair to wonder if this was sort of a trial run for something in the future.
Whatever the case, his next job will entail significantly less pressure than his last stop. Given the SEC’s strong presence on ESPN, that network feels like the likeliest choice for him, especially since the SEC on CBS is going away. It wouldn’t really… connect, most likely, on Fox. So it feels like there and even SEC Network sometimes would be the right sauce.
If he does go to the media, let’s hope nothing happens like that one time.
