NICK Saban has been tipped to swap the TV studio for another spell on the side line.
Saban, 73, is widely regarded as the greatest college football coach in history.
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He won seven national titles including six with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
And Saban joined ESPN as an analyst on their college football coverage in January 2024.
But a report in Front Office Sports claims rumors of Saban leaving ESPN for a coaching return “aren’t crazy.”
Saban was interviewed by Fox News last week about the return rumor.
And he revealed, “There is no opportunity that I know of right now that would enhance me to go back to coaching.
“I enjoy what I’m doing.”
But the Front Office report also claims that previous allies of Saban have fed the rumor mill.
His former assistant turned Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said, “I don’t think he’s done.
“I think he’ll be back. Whether that’s college or NFL, I think he’ll be back.
“I thought it’d be probably one year in the media, then back.”
And former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy said someone “in the know” thinks Saban isn’t finished.
But that led to a furious response from the ESPN analyst.
Saban said, “You know, it’s amazing to me that that came up in the media.
“And the media speaks for you and thinks for you.”
Fox Sports analyst Colin Cowherd recently made a bold claim that Saban could end up with the Cleveland Browns.
His theory also involves Arch Manning and is based on the Browns having the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
“This is the worst kept secret in the South,” Cowherd said.
“Jimmy Haslam – owner of the Browns – huge SEC, Tennessee booster.
“He leans heavily on the Manning family, he’s very close to the Manning family.
“Saban is incredibly close not only to Jimmy Haslam, but also to the Manning family as well.
“So Saban, if he could land, I’m told, a top quarterback he would take a phone call from the NFL.”
