In a new book titled, “The Leadership Secrets of Nick Saban,” by Senior sports editor and SEC Insider of AL.com, John Talty, [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] is revealed to have almost left the Crimson Tide for an analyst role with ESPN.
The Crimson Tide head coach was in talks with ESPN after the 2013 season when Alabama was eliminated from national title contention by the Auburn Tigers and the infamous ‘Kick Six.’ Saban reached out to Nick Khan, who at the time represented Kirk Herbstreit, Colin Cowherd and many other famous media personalities, to discuss the dynamics of ESPN’s organization and what working on a team would look like.
Ultimately, Saban elected to stay in Tuscaloosa, and Khan said, “Not because we didn’t have a good conversation and not because he wasn’t intrigued by television because he was intrigued and he was interested… Coach is really appreciative of the meeting, found it to be very informative, and has a lot of respect for GameDay and ESPN, but at this point in his career, he still has a desire to coach.”
Staying at the collegiate level has ultimately been the right move as Saban has won multiple national titles since then, but the question to join the media will always be persistent.
When asked what Saban’s future might hold, and if he might coach in the NFL again Herbstreit said, “Nick Saban will be on the set with us before he’s a coach in the NFL. I really believe that after he’s done at Alabama, whenever that time is, whether it’s a year, five years, whatever it is, I really believe there’s an itch there about becoming an analyst.”
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