Nick Saban, according to a well-informed source that spoke to Greg McElroy, is not quite done coaching football. The source believes the former Alabama coach is definitely going to come back at some point in the near future following his shocking retirement ahead of the 2024 season.
If he ever does return, which may or may not be imminent, where would he go? Kalen DeBoer signed an eight-year, $87 million deal to replace him, so a return to the Crimson Tide might be a little far-fetched.
What about North Carolina? College insider Tom Fornelli picked them as one of five feasible landing spots for a theoretical return, which is a bit shocking given that the Tar Heels just handed the reigns over to Bill Belichick.
In Fornelli's eyes, age is just a number to the Heels. They hired 73-year-old Belichick, so why not hire a 74-year-old Saban? "We can elect a 78-year-old man to be President of the United States, but a 74-year-old can't coach a college football team? Granted, coaching a college football team is far more important a job than president, but regardless, I won't stand for these ageist notions," he joked.
Plus, an older coach is right in line with the Heels. "Why not take over at North Carolina next season when Bill Belichick returns to the NFL? I mean, the last two coaches they've hired in Chapel Hill had an average age of 70.5 when hired. Saban's right in their wheelhouse," the insider added.
He seems to believe that a breakup between the Heels and Belichick, who could return to the NFL, is certain. If that happens, which seems unlikely at this current moment, then Saban would make sense, but the timelines probably don't line up for a Saban-led Tar Heels era.
Saban would be ideal for the Heels, who might regret hiring Belichick if the former Alabama coach does come available, but they couldn't really wait around and hire a filler coach in the meantime. Plus, with no guarantee that Saban really is coming back, that would've been highly foolish.