Nick Saban book reveals agent’s interest in Texas job

If there is a way for people to drum up more talk about Alabama head coach Nick Saban taking the head coaching job at Texas, they are certainly going to find it. This new information, however, is actually quite interesting when it comes to the case of Saban’s agent.

College Football Talk passed along the information that in an unauthorized biography set to be released next month titled, “Saban, the Making of a Coach,” there is a bit of information that hints at Saban’s agent Jimmy Sexton and legendary Texas head coach Mack Brown were both in love with the idea of Saban one day taking the job in Austin.

This is very apparent in a seventeen-page chapter devoted entirely to the situation named “Texas Hold ‘Em.”

From excerpts obtained by al.com:

  • Sexton reportedly told UT boosters that his client fancied himself as more of “a turnaround artist than a long-term CEO,” meaning Saban didn’t like to stay in one place for too long, even as Saban stated publicly amidst the rumors that he’s “just too damn old to start over.” That ultimately, at least thus far, proved to agent-speak on Sexton’s part as Saban is now entering his ninth season at ‘Bama, four years longer than his five-year stints at both LSU and Michigan State.
  • Sexton also reportedly told the same boosters that Texas was the only school that for which Saban would consider leaving Alabama. That matches up with an outstanding Associated Press report from November of 2013, which quoted a UT regent from documents obtained by the AP.
  • “But a number of factors kept Texas in play during a rough 2013 for Saban,” al.com wrote. “The exploding expectations of Alabama fans and boosters after three titles in four years were agitating Saban. There was also the spring death of AD Mal Moore who brought Saban to Alabama. Then in the fall, Saban’s coaching mentor Don James passed away. There was also the lawsuit involving Saban’s daughter Kristen and a former sorority sister she allegedly assaulted.”
  • Then-new UT athletic director Steve Patterson warned Sexton in November of 2013 that he’d better not be using his school to get a better deal from Saban’s current one, with the agent taking offense to the suggestion. One month later, a new contract between Saban and UA was announced that would ultimately pay the coach nearly $7 million annually on average.
  • Perhaps most importantly, at least to Tide Nation, Patterson confirmed to Burke that he never spoke to Saban during the months of speculation and that no contract was ever offered. It had been reported in another book, this one from Paul Finebaum in July of last year, that “the Longhorns were prepared to give Saban somewhere between a $12 and $15 million signing bonus and a salary package worth $100 million (plus performances).” Additionally, Saban, per the book, never had any direct conversations with anyone connected to the university about taking over for Brown.

While most of this information is not anything brand new, it is particularly interesting because it reveals the angst Alabama officials had when Saban was reluctant to sign a new contract. Ultimately, Saban signed the contract extension and the Longhorns moved on to Charlie Strong. In the end, I think it worked out for both ends of the deal.

“I never considered going to Texas. That wasn’t even a conversation,” Saban said after the new deal was announced. “I knew that if Mack stepped down, there would probably be an opportunity, but it wasn’t something I was interested in doing, not at this stage in my career.”

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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports

Ex-Clemson WR Demarre Kitt takes shot at team
Ex-Clemson WR Demarre Kitt takes shot at team