Someone 'In The Know' Reportedly Believes Nick Saban Will Return to Coaching

247Sports — Former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy on Monday relayed talk about a possible return by Nick Saban to coaching college football.

"A very much in the know person that I have a lot of respect for and have spent a lot of time around, and just really, really admire -- they seem to think Nick Saban is not done coaching," McElroy said Monday morning on the "Mac and Cube" show on WJOX radio in Birmingham. "He's pretty adamant that he thinks Nick Saban will be coaching again."

When pressed about the source of his information, McElroy responded, "If it wasn't someone notable, I would never say a word."

Right on schedule. Nick Saban enjoyed one whole year off and now that he's played all the golf there is to play and did one season of TV, he's ready to be back out on the field for the start of fall camp.

I don't know how badly Saban really wants to coach again versus how much he simply can't help it. Nobody retires from an incredibly grueling job in their 70s and actually wants to go back to work a year later, but the great ones just have an insatiable desire to keep going. There is no number of titles that would have kept Saban content in retirement.

The real question is how many Power 4 schools would fire their head coaches if Saban — who will turn 75 years old during the 2026 season — said he'd go there. Obviously, programs like Boston College or Mississippi State would drop their coaches like a bad habit at even the mention of Saban, but I really don't know how many programs out there would do the same. College football is a very different world than even the one Saban left two years ago and the age is a huge factor.

It would be a fascinating experiment. If Saban can win a championship at Northwestern, he'd be unquestionably the greatest coach in the history of sports.