Nick Saban demands change in college football

Nick Saban wants a change in college football that he, and many others, feel is necessary.

Saban appeared on ESPN’s “College GameDay” show on Saturday for his usual appearance. He used the situation surrounding Lane Kiffin to address a major problem in the sport.

Kiffin has Ole Miss in the middle of one of its best seasons in decades, and set for its first ever berth to the College Football Playoff. But the joy surrounding a successful season has been dampened by Kiffin being pursued for other head coach vacancies. He appears likely to leave for either LSU or Florida, with an announcement expected to come after the Nov. 29 Egg Bowl between Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

Saban feels that the way college football is structured has led to this issue, and he wants it changed.

“We should match the academic calendar with the football calendar,” Saban said on ESPN.

Changing around the football calendar would ideally alter the transfer window so that schools wouldn’t be incentivized to fire coaches early to get a head start on finding a replacement before early signing day and the transfer window. Currently, the transfer window is open before the playoff so that student-athletes can be enrolled in their new school prior to the start of the next semester or trimester, which typically begins in January. Saban wants transfers and recruit signings to happen in May.

“This is not a Lane Kiffin conundrum,” Saban concluded. “This is a college football conundrum, and we need some leadership to step up and change the rules.” 

Saban, who retired from his role as head football coach at Alabama after the 2023 season, wants to help fix college football. He has even met with the president about it.