Nick Saban, who six months ago shocked the college football world with news of his retirement, has been no stranger to the national spotlight since he called it a career. He’s been spotted testifying on Capitol Hill, relaxing at the Masters, providing NFL Draft commentary, and seemingly everywhere in between.
However, the former coach is still heavily involved with his former program and continues to serve as an official advisor to the University of Alabama athletic department.
“He’s been awesome. He and I talked during the coaching search,” Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne said in February.
“I mean, somebody asked me, ‘Was he involved?’. I was like, man, I’m not very smart; many people know that, but I’m smart enough to know when you have a chance to have Nick Saban involved with talking about coaching and football and decision-making and leadership, shame on me if I don’t take advantage of that.”
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Financial details of Saban’s advisor position emerged Thursday morning. According to documents obtained by AL.com, the former Tide coach has been earning $41,666 a week since the beginning of March, a figure which adds up to an annual salary of $500,000.
Saban’s advisor pay grade is higher than his previous base salary was. Per the terms of his final contact as the Tide’s head coach, Saban was paid just $305,000 before bonuses and retention fees. A clause called a ‘talent fee’ made up the majority of Saban’s income and ensured he was the most compensated coach in college football at over $11 million annually.
Charles Vaughan is a contributing writer for Yellowhammer News.
