Could legendary Alabama football coach Nick Saban leave his analyst role with ESPN to be the first commissioner of college football?
Saban, who retired in January after leading the Crimson Tide to six national championships, has been lauded for his insight on "College GameDay." On multiple occasions, Saban has cited the state of college athletics in the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) era and transfer portal for getting out of coaching.
Now, multiple big-time college coaches and talking heads have pegged the 73-year-old seven-time national champion Saban as the "obvious choice" to serve as the first college football commissioner.
In a push for someone to serve in the role, Penn State football coach James Franklin declared of Saban, “I think he’s the obvious choice, right?”
“I think one of the most important things that we can do is let’s get a commissioner of college football that is waking up every single morning and going to bed every single night, making decisions that’s in the best interest of college football,” he added.
Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin, who worked at Alabama as offensive coordinator from 2014 to 2016, recently shared on his X account that he would vote for Saban to be commissioner.
In reaction to six former Florida State players filing a lawsuit against their former coach over unpaid promises of NIL compensation, ESPN's Dick Vitale on Monday called for Saban to be the college football commissioner and former Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski as college basketball commissioner to help the two college sports get under control.
“CHAOS and the Wild Wild West scene is wacky in college,” Vitale wrote on X. “Look, I feel players deserve money for certain situations like appearances. etc. But the current scene is out of control. ZERO rules — make Coach K & Nick Saban Commissioner’s of hoops & football!”
He added in a later post, "No leader to take charge - need Commissioners in basketball & football - Leaders with clout - Coach K - Nick Saban - Jim Mora is so right glad to see him stand up for his program. So much dealing going on under the table to get players in the transfer portal !"
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