Nick Saban’s Unexpected Political Confession That Has Everyone Talking

College sports as we know it are tangled in a whirlwind of soaring NIL deals and skyrocketing team budgets, making even the staunchest fans question: has the game gotten a bit too big for its britches? Enter Nick Saban—the coaching legend who piled up seven national titles before hanging up his whistle after 2023—and, surprisingly, President Trump. Yes, you read that right. These two unlikely allies recently huddled at the University of Alabama, plotting a possible executive order to rein in the wild west of college athlete payments that have exploded since 2021. Saban calls the current model “unsustainable,” and with millions pouring into 2025 rosters, his concern feels less like a caution and more like a clarion call. But here’s the kicker: politically, Saban leans left—a bit of a Democrat in a deep red state—yet he’s teaming up with Trump, sparking a fascinating, almost cinematic kind of collaboration. Could this alliance reshape the future of college football, or is it just another play in the endless game of sports and politics? Either way, the gridiron drama is far from over. LEARN MORE.

Nick Saban and President Trump appear to be working together to help fix college sports.

College sports have undergone a lot of changes in recent years, thanks to Name, Image and Likeness. College athletes, mainly college football and college basketball players, are getting paid in a major way. Many college football programs, through NIL, are spending $10-plus million – if not more – on their rosters for the 2025 season.

Saban, who won seven national championships before retiring following the 2023 season, believes that college sports have gotten out of control.

“The people out there need to know this model is unsustainable,” Saban said in January on a radio show.

Saban and Trump reportedly met at the University of Alabama earlier this week. President Trump is considering a drastic move to change college sports and put more guardrails in place.

“The Trump administration is considering an executive order that could increase scrutiny of the explosion in payments to college athletes since 2021, after the president met with former Alabama coach Nick Saban, White House officials said,” the Wall Street Journal reported.

“Trump said he agreed with Saban and would look at crafting an executive order, people familiar with the meeting said. Trump told aides to begin studying what an order could say, the people said.”

While Nick Saban might be working with President Trump on this issue, he appears to differ politically.

The legendary Alabama and LSU college football coach appears to lean left politically.

Saban is “at least a little bit” of a Democrat, according to college football writer Alex Kirshner. 

“Saban has indicated over the years that he does care about professional politics and is at least a little bit—emphasis on ‘a little bit’—of a Democrat. The former coach, a native West Virginian, is a longtime friend of retiring Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin and endorsed him in his 2018 reelection. In 2022 Saban signed a letter urging Manchin to help pass voting rights protections, though Saban later clarified by way of a media leak that he did not support going around the filibuster,” Kirshner wrote for Slate earlier this year.

“Saban said last year that college football players should be unionized and explained to an interviewer, ‘General Motors and the automotive industries had unions for a long time and they survived fairly well.’ Saban is a registered voter in Alabama, but the secretary of state’s office doesn’t list a party affiliation. Saban’s agent, Jimmy Sexton, did not reply to emailed questions about whether Saban would have any interest in running or under which party affiliation.”

Saban did not endorse anyone in the 2024 presidential election. However, some have suggested that he himself should run for office.

“I think coach Saban would be a slam dunk,” Paul Finebaum told AL.com. “Immediately, he would be among the best known and influential individuals in Congress which would greatly enhance the state of Alabama.

“It would be a huge benefit to college football to have the greatest coach in history representing the sport at its most critical moment.”

While much of Alabama leans right, you have to imagine that everyone would be on board voting for Coach Saban, no matter where he stands.