Shaq claims LSU has spoken to Nick Saban

Shaquille O’Neal claims to have heard from some sources that LSU has reached out to Nick Saban about their head coaching vacancy.

In an interview with Daniel Trainor of US Weekly, Shaq claimed he had heard that LSU reached out to Saban. He said it would be “awesome” if Saban were to return to LSU.

“I heard through the grapevine that they were having conversations with Nick Saban,” O’Neal said. “That’d be awesome if we can bring Nick back.”

Shaq is an LSU alum, so he most certainly has connections to the school and people that would know things. However, Saban’s wife said recently that even $50 million would not be enough to lure Saban out of retirement. The former coach has never shown any interest in returning to the profession, and it would be a complete shock if he changed his stance on that now.

It would not be a shock if LSU reached out to Saban to see if he had any interest in a return. That may be true. However, it would be a big surprise if they got anything other than a firm “no” from him.

LSU is looking for a replacement for Brian Kelly, who was let go last week. The school does not appear eager to toss a huge sum of money at a replacement, which is another factor working against Saban.