Nick Saban spotted in Rome on vacation, per social media

Where in the world is Nick Saban? It is the offseason, after all, so that’s a fair question to ask.

According to a social media post Wednesday, the Alabama headman has been spotted. He’s in Rome — proudly repping the Crimson Tide with his quarter-zip sweatshirt, too.

Instagram user @Vera_Sansy posted a picture with Saban on her story, and one of her friends took a screenshot. She tagged Paul Finebaum in the tweet, and he shared it on his show.

Even the GOAT has to get away now and again.

@finebaum guess where Nick Saban is?? Rome! pic.twitter.com/yS3fDUKNYj

— Michele Jones 🥋🥋🥋🥋 (@Michele90057346) May 17, 2023

Saban’s vacation lines up with a quieter period on the college football calendar. Spring football is in the rearview mirror, and the SEC spring meetings are set to start in two weeks in Destin, Florida. Apparently, it’s the perfect time for an international getaway.

Upon his return, though, Saban will have some decisions to make with his roster. After Alabama’s A-Day spring game, the Crimson Tide dove back into the transfer portal and landed quarterback Tyler Buchner. That reunites the former Notre Dame quarterback with offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, who’s preparing for his first year in Tuscaloosa after replacing Bill O’Brien.

Buchner’s addition adds even more intrigue to the ongoing Alabama QB competition. The Crimson Tide already had to decide between Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson as they battled during spring practice, and now they have Buchner coming in fresh off a quarterback competition with Sam Hartman in South Bend.

Before that, though, Saban and the rest of the SEC coaches will make their way to Destin for the spring meetings. There are plenty of topics on the table — but perhaps none bigger than the future of the SEC schedule.

The league currently plays an eight-game conference schedule, and rumors have swirled about a nine-game slate after Texas and Oklahoma join next season. However, that might not be a slam-dunk, Finebaum said on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning earlier this week. Although he predicted that’s where the SEC will likely decide to go, it might not be as easy of a decision as it looked earlier in the offseason.

Saban has also expressed concern about how the nine-game schedule would look, specifically when it came to the three permanent opponents that would come with it. That’s why all eyes will be on Destin at the end of the month when talks heat up and, quite possibly, a decision is made.