Nick Saban coaching final game at Alabama?
On Monday night, the Alabama Crimson Tide will be going for their fourth national championship under head coach Nick Saban, and 11th overall in the poll era.
Alabama has had its share of legendary figures on the sideline, but perhaps none more special than Saban. In this age of parity even in the college football ranks, Saban has managed to be a top-flight coach at three major programs, beginning with the Michigan State Spartans before winning his first national championship with the LSU Tigers, then coming back to college after a stint with the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League to coach at Alabama.
Saban could etch his name further into college football lore on Monday with a win in the National Championship Game over the undefeated Clemson Tigers, who pulled off an upset win over the favored Oklahoma Sooners in the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Eve. Alabama is favored to knock off the ACC champions, giving up seven points.
Should Saban win this game as many expect, he will again be fielding offers from teams in the NFL. While his two-year stint with the Dolphins ended in failure and no playoff berths, Saban has the look of a man who could go in and work wonders with a team like the New York Giants or Philadelphia Eagles.
Saban worked in the NFL before he made his grand entrance into head coaching with the Dolphins, getting his feet wet in the late 1980s with the Houston Oilers as a defensive assistant. In the 1990s, Saban worked under Bill Belichick as defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns for four seasons. Incredibly, that front office included future big names such as Thomas Dimitroff, Scott Pioli, Eric Mangini, Kirk Ferentz and Jim Schwartz.
While Saban could certainly stay at Alabama, collect his millions of dollars and ride off into the sunset with another championship ring or two, at what point does the legend need a new challenge? Saban is not getting pushed much these days even in the mighty SEC. The expectation for the Crimson Tide is to roll through the regular season, hammer some overmatched school in the SEC title game, and then take care of business in the College Football Playoff.
There are ample vacancies in the NFL at the moment. If Saban shows interest in any one of them, he would immediately go to the top of the wish list for any owner worth his salt. Saban brings a certain level of prestige and genius about him, even going from the college game to the professional ranks.
This is not a Chip Kelly situation. Saban can actually win and win big. The question is, will he make the leap one more time?
