Paul Finebaum announces plan to write book about Nick Saban-Jimbo Fisher feud

If you wrote a book on this offseason in college football, it would go in a lot of different directions. From the coaching carousel to the transfer portal to NIL to the thunderous feud between Alabama football coach Nick Saban and Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher, there is plenty to look back on. Now, it appears that ESPN’s Paul Finebaum will be doing just that with Saban and Fisher’s public spat.

The feud between Saban and Fisher was big enough to write an entire story on within itself. And that is exactly what Finebaum. It was announced by Al.com on Monday morning that Finebaum plans to write a book on the feud between Saban and Fisher, and everything that came from it.

Finebaum will collaborate with Al.com’s John Talty with the book, and the two will work together to recount one of the most notable disagreements in recent college football memory. The two will also be writing some about Georgia coach Kirby Smart and the evolution of college athletics after the introduction of NIL. The book has an anticipated release date of September of 2023.

Finebaum’s last book he wrote was in 2014; “My Conference Can Beat Your Conference: Why the SEC Still Rules College Football.” That book wound up being a New York Times best seller. Getting back behind the pen isn’t something that Finebaum necessarily planned to do, but when something like the situation between Saban and Fisher arose, he knew that it was time for his return to writing.

“It’s something I didn’t think I would ever do again,” Finebaum told AL.com. “The last writing I did was this last book that came out in 2014. When that ended, I said this was a great experience. I’ve had a wonderful career writing, but it’s certainly long in my past and rearview mirror.”

Finebaum calls the feud between Saban and Fisher ‘the most intriguing story’ in years

The feud between Saban and Fisher began when the Alabama headman publicly accused Fisher and Texas A&M of buying its entire recruiting class, which is ranked as the top class for the 2022 season. Fisher had a fiery response, going as far to call Saban a narcissist. The SEC publicly reprimanded both coaches, and the Aggies even called for the subsequent suspension and fining of Saban.

But even in an age of social media where everything is seemingly out there, Finebaum looks forward to unpacking what went on behind the scenes and how this feud came to be in the first place.

“The one thing that intrigues me the most — and throughout this entire story, which isn’t very old — is what’s behind it all? What’s this really about? I think I said to you on the air that I don’t think we’ve heard the end of this,” said Finebaum. “Of course, I had a little inside information when I said that, by the way. I think it is a great mystery. Not only the rivalry between Fisher and Nick Saban, but Kirby Smart and Nick Saban and really under the clouds of NIL. That’s driving everything.

“I think there’s a lot that has not been uncovered, and I feel very confident we are well under way of breaking this code in many different ways. There is a great appeal. I’ve looked at other things in the past but, to me, this is the most intriguing story that I’ve seen in many many years.”