Sep 14, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; A pylon with the Big Ten Conference and the UCLA Bruins logos at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Potential Bruins Head Coach Profile: The Greatest of All Time

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI
By Andrew L. Ferguson Jr | Last updated Sep 22, 2025 12:00 PM ET

After firing DeShaun Foster, the Bruins are looking ahead, hoping to find a coach to lead them to success in a very competitive Big Ten conference. Who else but the ever-decorated Nick Saban?

While Saban has been sitting comfortably after retiring from coaching in 2024, there is still a chance that he might come back to coach for the Bruins in 2026. We have seen big coaches come out of retirement before. Most notable is Bill Belichick, who came out of retirement this year to coach for the University of North Carolina.

The Bruins are looking to cement themselves as a contender in the Big Ten. Since joining the conference last year, their performance on the field has been lackluster, earning them the laughing stock title.

UCLA's Athletics Director Martin Jarmond has made it clear what kind of coach he wants for the program moving forward: a winner. There is only one coach who stands above them all when it comes to this criterion, Nick Saban.

Saban, in his illustrious career, has totaled a record of 292–71–1, not to mention the seven national championships that he has accumulated in those 17 years. During Saban’s tenure, Alabama held the No. 1 ranking in the country for 141 weeks. No coach has ever done this.

We all know who Nick Saban is, easily regarded as the greatest of all time. If the Bruins want to turn things around, why not shoot for the moon?

While Saban has been sitting very comfortably in his retirement so far, he is an analyst on ESPN as well as serving an advisory role with Alabama, so it might be hard to convince him to coach again. However, with the right offer on the table, Saban could be the next coach for the Bruins

With Alabama, Saban was raking in $11.7 million a year with incentives. If the Bruins want to be serious about grabbing Saban, they need to offer him somewhere around the $15 million range with incentives.

While the hypothetical offer might sound crazy, they need to write a blank check if they seriously want to become a contender.

The reason why getting Saban is so important for the Bruins is stability. UCLA has struggled to be consistently a good football school in the last 25 years. With Saban, everything becomes easier, which includes recruitment, game planning, and winning in general.

It remains uncertain whether Nick Saban would even consider an offer from UCLA, as the program’s current situation is undeniably challenging. If Athletic Director Martin Jarmond is serious about his vision for the Bruins, he must take an aggressive approach in pursuing a high-profile head coach.

This article first appeared on UCLA Bruins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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