The Nick Saban to Texas rumors are now just that, rumors. Reports are surfacing Friday night that Saban has agreed to a contract extension with Alabama.
Cecil Hurt of Tuscaloosa News reports Saban has agreed to a multi-year extension.Nick Saban has agreed to a multi-year contract extension with Alabama. Details upcoming on Tidesports.
— Cecil Hurt (@CecilHurt) December 14, 2013
According to TideSports.com, the contract is expected to pay Saban between $7 and $7.5 million per year, a nice upgrade from his current $5.4 million in compensation. Saban is already the highest paid coach in the game, and that will continue to be the case. Alabama certainly has invested in Saban, and the commitment has paid off. Alabama has won three BCS titles under Saban and had a good shot to win another this season. As college football moves in to the era of the College Football Playoff, Alabama should be in a good situation more often than not as long as Saban can keep this giant powerhouse moving forward.
Earlier this week Alabama quarterback AJ MCCarron said Saban told him he was not leaving Alabama, but with word of an extension waiting to be signed by Saban the anxiety level for some had begun to rise just a little bit. Whether or not Saban was ever considering leaving Alabama or not is something only Saban and perhaps his agent, Jimmy Sexton, may know for sure. Reports had suggested Saban was investigating the cost of putting together a staff at Texas, but that report will surely be turned aside if Saban is asked about it now.
So Saban’s legacy at Alabama will continue to grow. Despite coming up one bizarre game-ending play away from a return trip to the SEC Championship Game this season, and thus perhaps one play away from a BCS title shot, Saban remains the best coach in college football.
Talks of Saban to Texas as the replacement for Mack Brown had been fun to follow, and perhaps that was part of the play to get the bets possible extension out of Alabama. Alabama likely would have pulled every resource possible to keep Saban in Tuscaloosa, but if the perceived interest from Texas was needed to maximize Saban’s new contract, it certainly worked.