Anyone who’s ever heard of Nick Saban can sum up his career in one word – victorious. It’s no secret that the Alabama Rolltide head coach is not immune to defeat. He likes to win, and prides himself on it. The ‘no-days-off, no-nonsense’ drill sergeant believes in the constitution of hard work and busting your butt on the gridiron to put points on the board, leaving no margin of error. Saban also has an impressive record of 161-55 to prove his sentiments are effective, which is why there is chatter about the Texas Longhorns wanting the winning coach to come and work his magic in the ‘lone star’ state. However, Saban has denied the rumors. But, here’s how it all got started:
With current Longhorns coach, Mack Brown, in hot water due to poor performance this season, university officials seem to be taking underlying strides to rectify the situation before the team suffers a full losing season. It has been rumored that a representative from the university contacted Saban’s agent, Jimmy Sexton, with an in quiry on the state of Saban’s permanence with the Rolltide. The Texas regent also asked if Saban would be interested in relocating. However, the surprising factor is that this all started in January, just days after Saban won the national championship.
The Washington Post reported that Coach Saban has indeed addressed the media buzz that seems to be circulating rapidly around the sports world. There is a claim that Saban has been contacted with a job offer to coach the University of Texas Longhorns football team. Saban took to his “Hey Coach” radio show in Tuscaloosa, AL to address the situation.
“Nothing went on that I know of. I don’t know about any of this stuff. I haven’t talked to anybody about that particular situation. They have a coach there.” He went on to say, “Quite frankly, I’m just too damn old to start all over somewhere else, to be honest with you.” In a nutshell, Nick Saban already has a strong football program that took years to solidify. He’s currently reaping the benefits of his invested efforts, and he’s not interested in spending more years rebuilding a losing team.
However, here’s the kicker: While Saban has stated his indifference and disinterest toward the alleged offer, that’s pretty much the same perception he portrayed before taking on the Rolltide. Saban is currently the highest-paid employee for the state of Alabama, salaried at $5.6 million a year. So, it leaves some football enthusiasts to wonder did Saban have a change of heart because of the challenge in building a winning football program, or was it the incentive furnished to get the job done? If it was the latter, a bidding war could arise if the Longhorns really want the top collegiate football coach on their sidelines. With Texas leading the nation in football revenue, they definitely have the monetary stimulus and allurement to offer an attractive deal. Football season’s just starting and the logistics are already sparking up. We’ll just have to watch it all play out.