Alabama football fans can rest assured that money, at least in the amount of $5,000, cannot persuade head coach Nick Saban to enter retirement or leave Tuscaloosa for another school.
Saban confirmed to present media at the annual Nick’s Kids Foundation golf tournament in Vestavia Hills that an offer was made for him to end his tenure with the Crimson Tide, which he respectfully declined.
According to Saban, he was approached earlier this week while eating lunch at the SEC spring meeting in Destin, Fla. The offer was reportedly made by a high school junior, who was hoping the legendary coach would either return to his former position at LSU or ride off into the sunset.
“He made an offer for me to retire or come back to LSU, one or the other,” said the 70-year-old Saban. “But I think LSU has a good coach. They have a lot of good players. We’ve had a lot of competitive games with them, and I’m sure it’ll be no different in the future.”
Alabama coach Nick Saban talks about an LSU fan offering him $5,000 to retire during the SEC spring meetings ? #RollTide #GeauxTigers pic.twitter.com/WykrBO0820
— #WVTM13 (@WVTM13) June 2, 2022
The Crimson Tide head coach’s refusal of the offer made financial sense as he is set to earn in excess of $9 million this year. A contract extension Saban signed with the university last year will keep him roaming the sidelines in Tuscaloosa through the 2028 season.
Saban, who won one national title with LSU during his stint at the program from 2000-2004, has enjoyed tremendous success at Alabama against his former employer.
The seven-time national championship-winning head coach is 12-4 against the Tigers and has won 10 of the last 11 games against the squad in purple and gold.
Bama will square off against LSU in Baton Rouge November 5. The game will feature the second matchup between Saban and Tigers head coach Brian Kelly, who was hired last November after former program leader Ed Orgeron posted a less-than-stellar record during his final year at the helm.
During an interview last week with Varsity House Podcast, Kelly said one of his top priorities at LSU was to defeat Saban.
“I want to beat Nick Saban,” admitted Kelly. “Who doesn’t want to beat Nick Saban? You know what I mean? I want to play him in the regular season. That’s the standard, right?
The last time Saban and Kelly met on the gridiron was the in 2013 BCS national championship game, where the Tide laid waste to Notre Dame by a score of 42-14.
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
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