College football analyst and former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy has ignited a firestorm of speculation after hinting that legendary coach Nick Saban might be poised for a shock “un-retirement,” not to return to the sidelines, but to take on a top-secret consulting role with his former program’s most bitter rival.
Saban, who retired from the University of Alabama in January 2024 after a historic 17-year run, has repeatedly dismissed rumors of a full return to coaching.
However, on his national radio show, McElroy suggested that a highly “in-the-know” source believes Saban’s competitive fire has not been extinguished and that his new role as an ESPN analyst may not satisfy his tactical appetite.
“The conversation I had was stunning, absolutely stunning,” McElroy stated, without naming his source. “This person is absolutely convinced that Coach Saban is not finished with football strategy. They believe he is already or is on the brink of—accepting a highly discreet, non-public consulting position with a premier program.”
When pressed by his co-host for the program’s identity, McElroy offered a jaw-dropping qualifier that sent the rumor mill into overdrive: “The twist is, it’s not to help his successor at Alabama. The belief is that this role would be with a team he has a deep, complex history with, and one that is in direct competition with the Crimson Tide. Read between the lines, folks.”
The implication was clear: LSU. Saban famously coached the Tigers from 2000 to 2004, winning a national championship in Baton Rouge before a brief stint in the NFL led to his defining tenure at Alabama.
Since his return to the SEC, the Alabama-LSU rivalry has been one of the most intense and important in all of sports, often with national championship implications. For Saban to lend his unparalleled strategic mind to LSU, even in an unofficial capacity, would be viewed by many in Tuscaloosa as the ultimate betrayal.
“If this is true, it changes everything about the SEC landscape,” said Paul Finebaum, a long-time observer of the conference. “Nick Saban’s brain is the most valuable asset in the sport.
If he’s feeding weekly tactical analysis on quarterback reads or defensive schemes to a rival, it’s a monumental conflict of interest and an ethical nightmare for both Alabama and ESPN.”
Alabama’s current head coach, Kalen DeBoer, who has maintained a respectful public relationship with Saban since taking over, has not commented on the rumor. Saban himself has previously addressed McElroy’s general un-retirement comments with a characteristic mixture of humor and rebuke, joking at an event that if McElroy had spread rumors like that as a player, “he would have got his ass kicked.”
However, the specific naming of LSU in connection with a secret consulting role goes far beyond simple retirement speculation. The role would likely be structured to bypass NCAA rules on official staffing limits and could potentially violate his contract with ESPN, which relies on his impartial analysis.
As the chatter intensifies, the college football world awaits a direct and definitive denial from the former coach. But until that happens, the image of Nick Saban secretly advising the Bayou Bengals on how to beat the Crimson Tide remains the most shocking rumor of the decade.
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