Nick Saban has revealed that the NCAA's NIL policy has kept him away from a potential return to college football, as he said the “dynamics” of college sports have changed.
The ruling went into effect in the summer of 2021, allowing college athletes to receive payment for their name, image and likeness and completely reversing the long-standing model of amateurism in college athletics.
And Saban, who retired as Alabama's head coach early last year, would prefer a job in the NFL if he returned to the sideline.
“I loved coaching professional baseball, and if I were to coach today, depending on the circumstances in college and in the NFL, I would coach in the NFL, because all those things in college have changed,” Saban said in The Pivot Podcastthrough On3.
'The whole idea of what university used to be doesn't exist anymore. It used to be that you went to college to develop courage for your future. Now people go to college to see how much money they can make.
'And I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but you change the whole dynamic of the importance of getting an education, making good decisions and choices about what you do and what you don't do to create value for your future. You changed that whole dynamic.
Nick Saban became a college football legend at Alabama before retiring last year.
Since then, he has spent his time as an analyst on ESPN's College GameDay each week.
To Saban's point of view, Ohio State's title-winning roster was built with nearly $20 million in NIL funds.
Additionally, former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck will earn more than $3 million to play in Miami next season, according to The Athletic.
For comparison, 49ers starting quarterback Brock Purdy made just $985,000 in base salary last season.
Saban's thoughts were echoed in a recent interview with former NFL head coach Jon Gruden.
'That's what I'm seeing in college sports right now. Everyone is paying attention to the transfer portal and how much money we deserve. “It's really disgusting,” he said. OutKick's 'Don't @ Me' featuring Dan Dakich.
Saban, who now appears on ESPN's College GameDay, has some NFL experience if he would like to return to the sport at the professional level.
He coached the Dolphins from 2005 to 2006, with a 15-17 record, and had previously worked for the Browns as a defensive coordinator, as well as the Houston Oilers as a defensive backs coach.