Alabama football head coach Nick Saban doesn’t see himself leaving Tuscaloosa. Not after this season. Not after the one after that. Not ever.
The legendary coach is always one of the first names to be tossed around whenever a high-profile college job like Texas opens up or when an NFL head coaching vacancy opens up. Just this year, he’s been linked to the Indianapolis Colts (among others), who might be looking for a big-name head coach to replace Chuck Pagano (read more here).
But he’s always maintained his love for Alabama since joining the Crimson Tide back in 2007. And he reiterated that stance in a recent interview with Chris Low of ESPN, who asked the coach if he ever thinks he’ll leave for “greener pastures.”
“No, I really don’t. I don’t see it ever happening, and I know every year somebody has me going somewhere else,” Saban told low. “I think a lot of it isn’t just about the coaching part. What people don’t understand is they forget you’re a person. They forget you have a wife and two kids and a grandbaby, and they all live in Birmingham.
“They all work here. My wife goes to Birmingham five times a week. My mom lives in Birmingham now after moving from Myrtle Beach. It’s not just the job. A lot of people don’t get that. My life is here.”
This doesn’t appear to be a coach who is eager to leave.
That said, the rumor mill won’t ever stop, and Saban is always going to be a hot name that drives headlines. With three national championships to his name in the past six years leading a program that is always in contention for a title, he’s proven to be one of the most successful coaches in the nation.
And, given the fact that he once uttered similar words about his position in Miami when he coached the Dolphins (“I guess I have to say it… I’m not going to be the Alabama coach”) he’s always going to have doubters when he says he’s not leaving Alabama.
That said, perhaps the next time you see Saban’s name attached to a hot opening at the college or pro levels, just take the “news” with a grain of salt.