New book claims Nick Saban nearly left Alabama for job at ESPN

Nick Saban is typically the one being interviewed on ESPN, but he was apparently just one decision away from conducting them. According to “The Leadership Secrets of Nick Saban,” a new book written by AL.com senior sports editor John Talty, the Alabama head coach was seriously considering a career change in 2014 that would have landed him at the worldwide leader in sports.

Prior to the 2013 season, Saban met with Nick Khan, who was then a sports media talent agent who represented Kirk Herbstreit and numerous others. Late into the season, however, Alabama’s national championship aspirations ended with a devastating loss to in-state rival Auburn. The game, often referred to as the “Kick Six,” saw Auburn’s Chris Davis catch a short field-goal attempt from Alabama kicker Adam Griffith, which he ran back for a touchdown to put the Tigers on top, 34-28.

Taltry wrote that when the season ended, Saban “empowered Khan to reach out to ESPN with the message Saban was thinking about the next chapter in his career and considering whether media should be a part of that.”

Khan then set up a meeting with Saban, his coaching agent, fellow agent Jimmy Sexton and and Syracuse’s Athletics Director John Wildhack, who was then a senior executive at ESPN. Nick Saban is said to have “zeroed in” on the possibility of joining ESPN’s “College GameDay,” and “quizzed” Wildhack on a number of questions about life at ESPN, organizational structure and if it was like “working on a team.”

Ultimately the coach decided to return to Alabama, where he would go on to win three more national championships over the next eight seasons. Had Saban accepted the job at ESPN, it would have gone on to drastically affect the course of college football. The Crimson Tide would have been tasked with finding a replacement and who knows whether they would have been able to maintain the success how Saban has.

Instead, Saban won his seventh national championship in 2020 to surpass fellow Alabama coach Bear Bryant for the record. Crimson Tide fans are certainly counting themselves lucky that the coach didn’t bolt for the booth.

“The Leadership Secrets of Nick Saban” will be released on Aug. 9.