Ross Dellenger forecasts Nick Saban's role after President Donald Trump, college commission saga

As discussions continue about the future of college sports, Nick Saban remains at the forefront. The former Alabama coach is seen as someone who can play a key role in settling the landscape, and President Donald Trump was preparing to name him head of his commission on college sports.

However, plans for the commission are off. But Saban could still carve out a role in the future, Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger said.

During an appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show, Paul Finebaum wondered if Saban had “exited stage right” regarding his involvement in the ever-changing landscape. But with federal NIL legislation in the works, Dellenger wondered if the legendary coach could still be involved somehow – just maybe not as the head of a commission.

“I don’t know that Nick Saban wants to be some chair or co-chair of any kind of commission,” Dellenger said. “He kind of made that clear. It seemed like maybe the White House wanted him to maybe be more heavily involved in some kind of commission, but in the end, he didn’t necessarily think that was a good place for him in maybe the commission. Maybe he thought – and he seemed to be clear on your show, too – that he didn’t necessarily think that a commission was something that was necessary. Probably, that’s why it got paused.

“I think Nick Saban is still going to be involved in some kind of future concepts of a bill, legislation, around college athletics. I think it was back in March, he was up here in D.C. and meeting with lawmakers. He held a roundtable. I think he does want to be involved in some way.”

Saban and Trump spoke ahead of an Alabama commencement event last month, and reports surfaced saying the president was considering an executive order regarding NIL. On3’s Pete Nakos then confirmed Saban and Texas Tech board chairman Cody Campbell were preparing to co-chair Trump’s commission on college sports, but those plans were since paused.

In the time since, the landmark House v. NCAA settlement received its long-awaited final approval. Additionally, a bipartisan NIL bill is in the works in the House of Representatives. U.S. Representatives Lisa McClain (R-Mich.)and Janelle Bynum (D-Ore.) introduced the “College Student-Athlete Protections and Opportunities through Rights, Transparency and Safety Act” on Tuesday morning, dubbed the College SPORTS Act.

The bill includes many of the provisions the NCAA has repeatedly requested, such as federal preemption of state laws and codification that college athletes are not employees. The bill would also allow athletes to use their scholarships to complete a degree within 10 years, even if they leave school early, and establish agent registration and disclosure requirements.

Pete Nakos contributed.