Saban not interested in coaching comeback: 'I wanna stay retired'

Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban dismissed any speculation linking him to recent head coaching openings in college football.

Saban was adamant about not returning to the sidelines while appearing on Friday's "Pat McAfee Show," even joking about keeping his agent, Jimmy Sexton, away from his wife amid talk of massive potential salaries.

"I wanna stay retired," Saban said. "I do not want (Sexton) anywhere near Ms. Terry because when she hears some of these numbers, she gets interested. And I ain't interested."

Nine FBS programs have fired their head coaches during the 2025 campaign, with six of those openings among Power 4 programs. Notably, Penn State dismissed James Franklin on Oct. 12 after losing three straight games, before Florida fired Billy Napier last weekend in the midst of his fourth season with the Gators.

Arkansas, Virginia Tech, and UCLA are among the other teams with head coach vacancies.

Terry Saban gave a wry response during her appearance last week on ESPN's College GameDay when McAfee asked about her husband's interest in coaching again and posed whether he'd accept a $50-million-a-year offer from Penn State.

"I have no doubt, if Nick wanted to go back to coaching, he could win his eighth national championship, but we're having too much fun," she said.

"But I haven't heard a number yet."

Saban, a seven-time national champion coach, retired following Alabama's 2023 season. The 73-year-old owns a 297-71-1 career record and has spent the past two years serving as an analyst on College GameDay.