Saban Addresses Coaching Return Rumor

Former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy stirred up a hornet's nest last week at SEC Media Days when he said a reliable source told him that Nick Saban was interested in returning to coaching.

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Fox Sports analyst Colin Cowherd then took a bat and swung at the hornet's nest, saying that the "worst-kept secret in the south" was that the Cleveland Browns were targeting both Nick Saban and Arch Manning to take over the Browns program. Cowherd said that Saban is very close with not only the Mannings, but also Browns owner Jimmy Haslam.

Saban joined Fox and Friends on Friday morning, where he was pressed three times about the possibility of his return to coaching.

"It's amazing to me that came up in the media and the media speaks for you, and thinks for you," Saban said. "I never really had a thought about getting back into coaching until two days ago. Miss Terry said I had to run the sweeper in the entire downstairs. While I was running the sweeper, the thought occurred to me, when you were a coach, you had a heck of a lot better job than this. So that's the only time I considered it."

Despite what seemed like a pretty emphatic answer to quell the rumor, Saban was asked again about a potential return to coaching.

"No, I'm really happy with what I'm doing right now," Saban said. "It's exciting to still be involved in the game. It's exciting for me to work with athletic directors, conference commissioners, and people in Congress to preserve the integrity of our game and continue to be able to create opportunities to help young people create value for their future that will help them be successful in their life, which is what we always try to do as a coach."

If that wasn't enough, Fox News asked him again, this time adding in the idea that changes across college football could prompt him to return to the gridiron.

"There is no opportunity that I know of right now that would enhance me to go back to coaching," Saban said. "I enjoy what I'm doing. I did it for 50 years, I loved it. I loved the relationships with the players. I loved the competition. But it's another station of life now. I enjoy what I'm doing right now and want to continue to do it - spend more time with my family, my grandchildren, my children. It's been really, really good."

Saban currently serves as a TV analyst for ESPN and College Gameday. He will turn 74 years old this October.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.