Report: If Texas job is open, Longhorns will ‘do whatever it takes’ to land Nick Saban
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CBS Sports analyst Brian Jones believes Texas will once again pursue Nick Saban if the Longhorns have an opening at season’s end.
Jones, co-host of CBS Sports’ Gio and Jones radio show, says there’s a ’50-50 chance’ Charlie Strong leaves the program and the Texas power brokers go after Saban:
“It’s come to me that someone in his camp may or may not have reached out to Miami prior to the Oklahoma game when Charlie was really feeling it,” Jones said. “Since that ball game, he’s feeling it again, the heat. But there are a number of layers to this one. One, prior to the Oklahoma game once again, someone in his camp may have reached out to Miami to see if there’s an interest. Two, Charlie was undercut by his former athletic director. It’s well reported about Steve Patterson, the things he did. He was nickel-and-diming the program, he wasn’t paying quality assistant coaches what they deserved.
“So, Charlie is still a little perturbed about that. Additionally, Coach Strong and his staff haven’t really endeared themselves to the Texas high school coaches and it was pretty much a slap in the face when they said a year ago we’re going to go to Florida and do the bulk of our recruiting.”
Saban’s name always surfaces when Texas is on the table, a job many consider to be one of college football’s best.
“There will be another run at Mr. Saban,” Jones said. “They will break the bank. Whatever it takes.”
SEC Network’s Paul Finebaum wrote last year in his book, “My Conference Can Beat Your Conference: Why the SEC Still Rules College Football” that Texas was willing to offer Saban a signing bonus near $15 million and a total salary package of $100 million-plus to take over before Strong’s hire.
Saban refuted the claim, but the story was out there and Finebaum didn’t back down.
“Texas was dead serious about trying to money-whip Saban,” Finebaum wrote in his book. “Depending on whom you talk to — Bama big hitters or Texas big hitters — 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).”
