More than a year removed from his coaching retirement, Nick Saban still casts a specter over SEC football. While the league remains the deepest in college football, replete with national championship contenders, one of the biggest stories at this week's SEC media days in Atlanta centered on rumors that the former Alabama and LSU coach could return to the sideline.
Rumors began with former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy sharing that someone "in the know" and "notable" told him that Saban is not done coaching. That quote caught on like wildfire in Atlanta, with just about every coach with any connection to Saban fielding questions about his potential comeback during the week.
The one person we haven't heard from: Saban himself. His daughter, Kristen, broke the family's silence on Thursday afternoon with a pretty definitive-looking Instagram story post about the rumors.
After posting video of Saban running out of the tunnel with the Crimson Tide, Kristen shared a selfie, writing, "apparently some of yall feel trolled by my last story of nick's walkout...he's not coming back to coaching, hate to break it to you😂you had your time."
Nick Saban's daughter Kristen on the recent coaching return rumor
— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) July 17, 2025
"he's not coming back to coaching, hate to break it to you 😂 you had your time."
🔗 https://t.co/vcxlvpZqS0 pic.twitter.com/8uOgJIGsDU
This certainly doesn't mean that Saban can't have an about face in the future should the right college football or NFL job open up, but it doesn't sound like the seven-time national champion has been itching to jump back onto the sideline, at least as far as his family knows.
As of now, it appears that Saban will continue his role as an analyst on ESPN's College GameDay, keeping him involved in the sport but removed from the day-to-day rigors of coaching.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Nick Saban's Daughter Has Direct Response to Rumors That He Will Return to Coaching.
