LSU's Brian Kelly reveals true feelings on Nick Saban's rumored return to college football

The possibility of Nick Saban returning to college football coaching has become a hot topic at SEC media days, with LSU coach Brian Kelly expressing hope that it will happen. The speculation was sparked by Greg McElroy on Monday's episode of his radio show, “McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning.”

Saban made an unexpected retirement from coaching in January 2024 after 17 years at Alabama and more than four decades of career in college football and the NFL. Despite his dominance in the landscape, Kelly welcomed the idea of Saban returning to coaching.

“It would be better for college football if Nick Saban is coaching. Period,” Kelly told On3’s Alex Byington on Monday. “There’s nobody better to develop players and certainly build championship programs, but at the same time, understanding how to do it and how to do it the right way. It’d be a great day if he was back in it.”

McElroy shared on the radio show that a highly credible source predicts Saban will return to coaching, emphasizing a strong intent to resume his place on the sidelines. The former Alabama quarterback reiterated this point during his discussion with Paul Finebaum.

Saban faced Brian Kelly three times before retiring, boasting a 2-1 record against the LSU coach. It will be iconic to have both on the sidelines once again.

Brian Kelly outlines what he wants to see with college football leadership

There's been a lot of discussion around the governance structure and the leadership of college football in the last couple of years. During his session at the SEC media days on Monday, Brian Kelly expressed what he would love to see in the broader governance of the landscape.

“Transparency and consistency,” Kelly said. “Those two words are probably the most important thing as we continue to move forward. Now, other thing we would like federal government involvement. I got the Christmas list here. I can go through them all. “If we start with transparency and start with the clear communication necessary and consistency and approach, look, I know this might not be what you were asking, but it's got to start with coaches. It's got to start with us. We have to be the stewards of this. There has to be a moral high ground. Ethics in this. It starts with us. It starts with coaches.”

The governance and leadership of the college football landscape have become a popular topic in the last couple of years, as quite a lot continues to change. Quite a lot of coaches, including Kelly, have had their reservations on new ideas introduced to the landscape, necessitating changes in leadership structure.

Edited by Ribin Peter