Nick Saban offered an intriguing answer on Wednesday regarding whether he misses coaching since his retirement.
Saban was a guest on “The Paul Finebaum Show” Wednesday and was asked if he ever misses his old job. The answer is yes, but he described it as a “trade-off.”
“I miss coaching a little bit, I miss the relationships with the players. I miss the competition, but it’s a trade-off,” Saban said.
Saban said it was “probably right” that he would never coach again because his wife Terry has made it clear that he is on his own if he does.
“When people call, all I can tell all the fans out there is Miss Terry says if you take a job, you’re commuting,” Saban said. “She’s not moving. She’s not leaving the grandkids. She’s not leaving any of that.”
Nick Saban to @finebaum: "…I miss coaching a little bit, I miss the relationships with the players. I miss the competition, but it's a trade-off."
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) April 29, 2026
Would he ever be convinced to return to coaching? "When people call, alls I can tell all the fans out there is Miss Terry says if…
There are a lot of people who are going to cling to Saban’s use of the word “probably” and the fact that he makes it sound as if his objections are more family-based than they are about desire. On the other hand, this is the same sort of answer he has always given to this question, albeit in a more serious tone.
Saban still gets linked to basically every major job that comes open, and nothing ever comes of it. Miss Terry has made it very clear where she stands, and Saban has never indicated that he feels any differently. That’s highly unlikely to change at this point. Plus, he would have to deal with the negatives that drove him into retirement to begin with.
