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LSU coaching search: CBS analyst Bryant McFadden pitches Nick Saban to replace Brian Kelly

Chandler Vesselsby: Chandler Vessels10/27/25ChandlerVessels

CBS Sports analyst Bryant McFadden believes that LSU should take a Hail Mary shot to bring Nick Saban back to the bayou. The Tigers made the decision to fire Brian Kelly on Sunday, creating mass speculation as to who the next candidate may be.

Some big names such as Lane Kiffin and Marcus Freeman have already been tossed around as potential candidates, but almost no one has mentioned Saban. That’s for good reason, as the coach retired from Alabama following the 2023 season, presumably ending a legendary career.

However, McFadden believes LSU should at least try to lure Saban, who was the Tigers’ coach from 2000-04, out of retirement with an offer he can’t refuse. He laid out his case in a TV appearance on Sunday.

“When I said big fish hunting, this ain’t a fish, this is a whale,” McFadden said. “When you make this move for LSU, you’ve gotta be willing to pay top dollar. Nick Saban, in my opinion, would be the name that, in terms of recruits, in terms of prospects, you instantly drop everything and you hear him out because of his legacy.”

Nick Saban won the first national championship of his coaching career at LSU in 2003. He would later go on to win six more as the coach for the Crimson Tide from 2007-23.

Since his retirement, Saban has spent the past two seasons as an analyst for ESPN’s College GameDay. He recently addressed the rumors linking him to multiple coaching openings across the country, saying that he does not plan on returning to coach. However, the coach also joked that he didn’t want his wife, Miss Terry, to get a glimpse at the money that comes with the offers.

“You know, I want to stay retired,” Saban said. “I do not want (agent Jimmy Sexton) anywhere near Miss Terry. Because when she hears some of these numbers, she gets interested. And I’m not interested.”

It’s definitely a long shot for Nick Saban to end back up at LSU. It sounds like he doesn’t want to go back to coaching, but McFadden isn’t ruling it out if the numbers on the contract are big enough, especially after Saban’s comments about Miss Terry.

“I understand he said he is enjoying what he is doing now,” McFadden said. “It’s a great job. But he also said he does not want his wife, Miss Terry, to hear any of these numbers that potential opportunities might throw out. Because when she hears these numbers, she’s like, ‘Oh yeah, we’ve got to go get the bag’ and she also know, ‘You still got it.’

“If you know anything about relationships, us as men, our homeboys can tell us one thing, our family members can tell us one thing. But when the old lady tell you something and she’s like, ‘You better go get that bread,’ go get the bread. LSU, in terms of big whale hunting, that is a name I would consider as well. Because you’ve got to find a way to bring a guy in that you know will put you in position to win championships when you make these kind of firings.”