"I would coach in the NFL": Nick Saban discloses what his choice would be if he returns to coaching amid the drastic changes in college football

Following more than four decades in college football, Nick Saban unexpectedly announced his retirement from coaching in January 2024. In interviews post-retirement, it was clear that the coach exited due to changes in the realm.

On the “Pivot Podcast,” Nick Saban made it known that he would prefer to coach in the NFL rather than college football if he decides to return to coaching. That's due to the drastic waves of changes befalling the landscape.

"If I was going to coach today based on the circumstances in college and in the NFL, I would coach in the NFL because all of those things in college have changed. The whole idea of what college used to be is not there anymore," Saban said.

"It used to be you went to college to develop value for your future. Now people are going to college to see how much money they can make. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but you changed the whole dynamic of the importance of getting an education, making good decisions and choices about what you do and don't do to create value for your future."

Nick Saban is widely regarded as the greatest college football coach of all time, winning seven national championships and 11 conference titles. For someone of his caliber to want to avoid the landscape speaks volumes of the decadence.

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Nick Saban says college football is no longer producing players with the right value for the NFL

The changes in college football aren't affecting the landscape alone but also the NFL. Nick Saban disclosed that the advent of NIL and transfer portal is creating significant problems for the professional stage due to the level of players being produced.

"I got NFL coaches calling me complaining about these guys have no ability to sustain, persevere, and overcome adversity because they never had to do it," Saban said.

"They just pack up and leave as soon as something doesn't go their way. That's what I always enjoyed about college, developing those things that help guys be successful. And now the system is changed where that's not even possible anymore."

The rapid evolution of college athletics this decade has been driven by the combination of NIL and transfer portal, fundamentally altering the competitive and developmental landscape. Saban has remained one of the most outspoken critics, frequently emphasizing how these changes have disrupted the landscape's value.