President Donald Trump makes plea for Nick Saban to have role overseeing college sports

President Donald Trump believes Nick Saban could play a crucial role in helping stabilize the landscape of college athletics. Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show Tuesday, Trump praised the now-retired Alabama head coach, suggesting that Saban should be brought in to help oversee and guide the future of college sports amid growing financial and competitive concerns tied to NIL and the transfer portal.

“I know him, and I got to know him because he brought his team to the White House. You know, he had the team, he won a lot. And I got to know him. He’s a fantastic guy, and he’s somebody that really, they should get involved in college sports in terms of making sure that, you know, it all works out,” Trump said.

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“Because what’s happening is, it looks like it’s not working out too well, for colleges, and for most of the people. A lot of the lesser sports are being totally terminated. You know, it’s a shame. It was almost like a training ground for the Olympics. A lot of those training grounds are being lost. You know, Nick knows this stuff better than anybody.

“He would be, and he was — he’s really active in it. I think they would have to let Nick Saban take a good, strong look at it, and we all — I can tell you, from my standpoint, I’d listen to what he has to say. I know him well, and he’s a fantastic guy, and what a great coach.”

Continuing, Trump went on to express deep concern about the current financial direction of college athletics, particularly in football, where NIL deals and player compensation have grown dramatically in recent years. He argued that without reform, even the wealthiest athletic departments could find themselves overwhelmed.

“It’s a very serious problem, because even in football, when they give quarterbacks $12, $13, $14 million, I read a couple of them, and all of a sudden you see it’s going to be out of control,” Trump said. “Even rich colleges are going to go bust, because you’re not going to be able to do this.

“The old way, they gave scholarships and they did lots of good things, but there could be some form of payment, but when they start bidding up the costs? Look, the NFL, and you know, all teams, they have caps. You don’t really have that in college sports.”

Trump continued by warning that without structural limits, college programs could spiral into financial chaos: “When a guard comes along that weighs 350 pounds, and he’s phenomenal, and they say, ‘That’s going to make the difference between having a great team and a lousy team,’ and they give him $10 million — that’s going to start happening pretty soon.

“All of a sudden, you’re going to have NFL-type payrolls. I don’t care how rich the college is, they don’t make that much money, even the most successful, so they’re not going to be able to do this,” he added. “Bad things are going to happen unless they figure this out. That’s why a guy like Nick Sabin — and I’ve worked with Nick, but a guy like Nick Sabin and some others getting together, because they’re going to have to do something.

“Colleges can’t afford it. What they’re doing, I don’t want to use any particular sport, because it’s, you know, degrading, but they are really terminating a lot of sports. You would call them lesser sports, but big sports, good sports and sports where they have tremendous interest — they’re getting rid of them. And frankly, college football is very big. But as big as it is, if they don’t do — you know, some very powerful caps, these colleges are all going to go out of business, no matter how rich they are.”

Of course, Saban had a legendary career at Alabama and beyond, winning a myriad of national championships and becoming one of the most influential figures in college football history. Trump’s comments mark yet another call from prominent figures for people like Saban to remain involved in shaping the future of the sport, even after stepping away from the sidelines.