Nick Saban sends self-aware message on Indiana Hoosiers, Vanderbilt Commodres, LSU Tigers, Florida Gators

Nick Saban is fully aware that college football has changed rapidly since his final years with the Alabama Crimson Tide before his retirement in January 2024. Even since then, the sport has undergone another revolution – one in which the Indiana Hoosiers and Vanderbilt Commodores are among the highest-ranked teams in the country.

In football. Not basketball.

At the same time, as IU and Vandy have risen, teams like the LSU Tigers and Florida Gators, who fired their coaches after underwhelming tenures since the 2022 season, have fallen off as national powers.

Saban realizes that the game isn’t the same anymore, and LSU and UF aren’t the opportunities they once were after firing Brian Kelly and Billy Napier, respectively, over the last month. The Tigers let go of Kelly after a 49-25 loss to the TAMU Aggies, while the Gators got rid of Napier after a 23-21 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

“I think that’s why you see Vandy, Indiana — places who have not historically been traditionally great jobs, actually having a lot of success now, because they have managed the external factors very well to bring it in house so that they can function effectively. So what’s to say LSU, Florida — they’re traditionally the best jobs, but are they the best jobs now? Relatively speaking, based on how they’ve adapted to the external circumstances that really affect your ability to be successful in college football,” Saban said on Friday’s edition of The Pat McAfee Show.

Saban’s name has repeatedly been linked to LSU’s coaching vacancy, but if you check the sportsbooks, you’ll see there are very long odds of that actually happening. Sure, Saban knows Baton Rouge well and has proven to understand the NIL system enough to have his team in the College Football Playoff as recently as 2023/2024, but a return to coaching is complicated. Saban still works for the University of Alabama in an advisor role.

Saban’s coaching journey has ended, but he’s clearly excelling in his current role. He sees there’s a legitimate changing of the guard in the sport, and the SEC’s traditional powers like Alabama and LSU aren’t going to always just roll over the competition any longer.

Curt Cignetti is the new “it” coach in the sport. Clark Lea is quickly earning a similar status. Because of their 15-1 combined record at Indiana and Vanderbilt. What a world.