Kirk Herbstreit Has Inside Information On Nick Saban Amid Coaching Rumors

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ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit shared his thoughts on all the coaching rumors regarding Alabama legend Nick Saban.

Saban has been part of ESPN's "College GameDay" since retiring from coaching in January 2024. That being said, he has been linked to a pair of head coaching jobs over the past week.

Initially, Saban was linked to the Penn State job. The program fired head coach James Franklin on Oct. 12 after dropping three straight games to Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern. It was an expensive decision considering his buyout was roughly $49.7 million.

Later in October, LSU fired head coach Brian Kelly. He was let go after suffering an embarrassing at home to Texas A&M. As soon as that move was made official, Saban was mentioned as a potential replacement.

According to NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal, LSU has spoke to Saban. It's unclear how far their discussions went though.

“I heard through the grapevine that they were having conversations with Nick Saban,” O’Neal told Us Weekly. “That’d be awesome if we can bring Nick back.”

Saban isn't going anywhere.

During a recent episode of the "Nonstop" podcast, Herbstreit revealed that Saban isn't going to come out of retirement. The seven-time national champion is reportedly enjoying the second chapter of his life.

"You couldn't pull Nick Saban off the GameDay desk. You got to stop bringing up Nick Saban for all these coaching spots. He's not going anywhere," Herbstreit said. "My man is enjoying his life. He told me, 'For 50 years, I've been in a hurry. I've been late to something.' Now, he's got car dealerships, he's on a boat, he's golfing."

This story was originally reported by The Spun on Nov 4, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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