There’s been serious buzz in the football world about legendary head coach Nick Saban possibly eyeing a return to the sidelines. While nothing is confirmed, speculation has ramped up — and former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy is the reason for it.
“A very much in-the-know person that I have a lot of respect for and have spent a lot of time around, and just really, really admire — they seem to think Nick Saban is not done coaching,” McElroy said. “He's pretty adamant that he thinks Nick Saban will be coaching again.”
Since McElroy’s comments, the floodgates have opened, with rumors swirling about Saban’s potential return. He’s already been linked to some NFL jobs that could open up after this upcoming season. Among the more surprising possibilities is a return to the Miami Dolphins — an idea floated by college football analyst Paul Finebaum.
“I want to go back to Nick Saban, if I could divert for a second, because that story came out of here yesterday from one of his former players,” Finebaum said. “And I know a lot of people thought maybe he would go to LSU. Nick Saban is not going to LSU … I don’t know what you think about this, but I have the perfect job for Nick Saban. 45 minutes from his brand new home in Jupiter, go down to Miami, shake that system up.”
Another intriguing scenario was proposed by Sportsnaut’s Jason Burgos, who suggested Saban could eventually replace Billy Napier at Florida.
“While college football programs don’t fire head coaches as fast as they do in the NFL, they aren’t far off. It seems like four years is the amount of time major schools give a coach to turn their football teams into playoff contenders. That means the pressure will be on Florida Gators coach Billy Napier in 2025. If he can’t take another step forward this year, the idea of replacing him with Nick Saban could be an idea too good for Florida decision-makers to turn down,” Burgos wrote.
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Last season was the Gators’ best under Napier, but for many Florida fans, it still felt disappointing. With expectations rising, this season is shaping up to be a prove-it year for Napier — or the program could once again find itself searching for a new head coach.