When former Alabama head coach Nick Saban first started coaching college football, it looked a lot different than what he does today. Players weren’t getting paid, NIL didn’t exist, and the transfer portal wasn’t even an idea.
College coaches were also allowed to complete a season before being asked to accept another job, and coaches were also generally allowed to complete a season before being fired. Well, now that’s all different, as college football has seen many changes over the years, some of which led Saban to step away from the game and retire.
Now, Saban is a strong voice on ESPN’s College GameDay, especially when it comes to issues in sports today. When we talk about the madness around coaching vacanciesprimarily Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin and how many programs like Florida and LSU are pursuing him, Saban didn’t want to talk about his former coordinator, but instead addressed the bigger issue.
Nick Saban blames college football as a whole for mid-season coaching noise
NEW: Nick Saban calls for change in college football in response to Lane Kiffin coaching rumors:
“This is not a Lane Kiffin conundrum. This is a college football conundrum, and we need some leadership to step up and change the rules.”
(via @CollegeGameDay)… pic.twitter.com/Yz5H2zeV0t
– Sur3 (@On3sports) November 22, 2025
Ole Miss has one more game this season, with the Rebels having a bye this week. They still have to play in the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State and then potentially host a game in the College Football Playoff.
At this point, however, Ole Miss players can’t focus on football when everything in the news is talking about their head coach leaving, and even potentially leaving before the CFP. Nick Saban has seen enough and denounced college football as a whole as the real problem behind it all.
“It’s not a Lane Kiffin riddle, it’s a college football riddle,” Saban said during College GameDay. “We need some leadership to step up and change the rules.”
Saban thinks there should be some sort of rules in place to help protect the players’ minds during the season. The former Alabama coach believes coaches should not be allowed to be contacted while a team is still in the middle of the season, just like it is in the NFL.
Right now, programs worry so much about finding a coach before signing day or the transfer portal opens because without such a coach, there is no way to attract high-level players. This kind of sports schedule is the root of the problems we’re seeing now, and Saban has recovered from it.
Once a guy with a level of success like Saban talks about it, you know it’s a problem, and you don’t feel like it’s going to go away anytime soon.
