Greg McElroy can cite a source in the know all he wants, but they don't get much closer to Nick Saban than in his own daughter. Kristen Saban took to social media on Thursday to set the record straight on the wild rumors linking Nick Saban to various jobs amid speculation he might be considering a return to the sidelines.
Rumors started flying on Monday when McElroy, the former Tide QB, cited "someone who would know" thought Saban wouldn't remain retired. It spiraled from there, prompting responses from coaches across the country and becoming one of the major headlines at SEC Media Days, prompting serious and tongue-in-cheek responses.
While Saban's return always seemed doubtful to most, it was hard to say never, especially for a guy who has given his entire life to the game of football. But according to his daughter Kristen, you can officially close the book on the potential for her Dad to return. He's thrown away his whistle and cast aside his straw hat.
Not that there was ever a doubt but Kristen Saban says her dad Nick Saban isn’t coming back to coaching after rumors popped up earlier this week. pic.twitter.com/olRVdp8bTN
— John Talty (@JTalty) July 17, 2025
Kristen Saban says college football had its time, but Nick Saban is retired for good
College football did have its time, and what a glorious time indeed. Saban coached at Alabama for 17 years, leading the Crimson Tide to six National Championships and nine SEC titles. Alabama was the dominant team in the sport during his tenure, and most fans of the Tide took his retirement last January about as well as they'd take the news of a family member passing away.
Saban is arguably the greatest college football coach of all time, so the news of him potentially returning obviously dominated the news cycles. McElroy knew what he was doing when he put those rumors out there, whether he's ever willing to admit it or not.
Saban has seemed happily retired for the past 18 months. He took a job with ESPN, where he works weekly on College GameDay. He also did NFL Draft coverage for the network, providing the kind of insight that has been sorely lacking from both the past few years.
Saban's return always felt unlikely. He'll turn 74 in October and would turn 75 during the middle of next season, which at this point would be the earliest conceivable time he could return to the sidelines.
I have no doubt that Saban still has the itch to coach; that likely will never fully go away. But his time in the game in that capacity has passed by, as tough a loss as that is for the sport.