In January of 2024, ESPN's Chris Low broke the news that no Alabama fan ever wanted to hear. Nick Saban was retiring. He had just told his team. His legendary 17-year run with the Crimson Tide, which featured six National Championships, was now over.
Fast forward 18 months later, and rumors began swirling that Saban might not be done coaching after all. Greg McElroy, who was the quarterback of Saban's first National Championship team at Alabama in 2009, churned up the rumor mill on the Mac and Cube show Monday morning, stating that a person in the know believed Saban was going to return to coaching.
Chris Low is a person in the know. He's not McElroy's source, but he's as plugged into the University of Alabama and Saban himself as any member of the media. Low is in Atlanta attending SEC Media Days, and it was only natural that he would be asked about the Saban rumors.
"I don't see it," Low said. "I guess you never say never. Nick will be 74 this October. I think probably the person who'd make that decision would be Miss Terry. I don't think Nick makes that decision."
Low clarified he was being a little tongue-in-cheek about Miss Terry being the one who would make the ultimate decision on whether Saban returned to coaching, but he's also probably not wrong. She wields a lot of influence, and he would never return without her blessing.
Nick Saban's return to the sideline seems unlikely
Certainly, Saban misses coaching. He misses the locker room, misses the players, misses the competitive nature of it all. It's what made his retirement a year and a half ago so surprising because that competitive fire was still clearly burning inside of him.
"It was hard for him to walk away. He loves coaching, he loves being in the locker room with the players, but when he made that decision to walk away, I think that was for good," Low said.
Saban has, by all accounts, greatly enjoyed his retirement. He and his wife bought a home in Jupiter, Florida, and Saban plays a ton of golf to stoke the flames of competitiveness. He has also been terrific on television, most notably on the set of College GameDay. Low noted that Saban attacks the weekly GameDay preparation much like he did when he was coaching. It shows in his analysis on TV, and fans have clearly appreciated it as GameDay scored its most-watched year in its history with Saban on the show.
A return to college coaching, with Saban having accomplished everything there is to accomplish, doesn't make much sense. He's said as such, when asked after he retired if he would consider returning to coaching college somewhere else. He said if he wanted to coach in college, it would be at Alabama.
That's why some have pondered whether maybe he gives the NFL another shot. Capping his career with a Super Bowl trophy would solidify his standing as the greatest coach in the history of sports, not just football. But Low doesn't see the NFL as a possibility for Saban, either:
"I don't ever see him getting back in the NFL, and I know he's not crazy about the climate right now in college football in this era of rev share, NIL, whatever you want to call it."
At the end of the day, rumors will swirl about Saban's possible return to coaching every offseason. He'll probably even field phone calls from programs and franchises. Low is right that you can never say never, but it seems extremely unlikely that Saban will coach again.
You can watch the full clip of Low's interview below:
ESPN’s Chris Low broke the news of Nick Saban’s retirement…does he think there’s a chance he returns to coaching? pic.twitter.com/7Bmizsf3yj
— Alabama Crimson Tide | AL.com (@aldotcomTide) July 14, 2025