College football just got another curveball—and Nick Saban’s holding the glove. As the House vs. NCAA case barrels toward a verdict that could blow the whole model to pieces, Saban quietly met with a deep-pocketed Texas billionaire tied to one of the biggest NIL operations in the country. This went down just days after he questioned if Trump’s new college sports commission was even needed. Now? He’s not just in the room—he might be calling shots.

Nick Saban just stepped out of his retirement—and straight into the fire. Just two or three days after questioning President Donald Trump’s plan to create a college sports commission, the GOAT reportedly linked up with Texas Tech billionaire booster Cody Campbell, one of the biggest NIL movers in the game. According to Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger, the two met on May 16, right as the House v. NCAA case started catching serious fire.

Campbell, a co-chair on Trump’s upcoming commission, has poured millions into Tech’s NIL rise. Now Saban’s sitting at the same table, tapped to headline Trump’s 10-person task force that’s set to blow the lid off everything from transfer portal chaos to revenue sharing and booster money.

Dellenger reports the White House is already stacking names from Power Four leagues, NCAA officials, and athlete reps. The goal? Political and cultural diversity, but with people who actually know how deep the mess runs. “White House leaders have begun pooling recommendations for commission membership from those at the power conferences, NCAA and athlete groups. Membership is expected to be 10 people or less with a goal of political and cultural diversity,” Dellenger said on X.

Translation: They’re not playing. This crew’s going to dig into every corner—think Title IX tied to revenue-sharing, unregulated booster money, and how far schools can push conference realignment for TV money. What’s wild? Just a few days ago, Saban sounded skeptical of the commission’s need. Now, he’s in the war room with one of NIL’s biggest power players. College football might be on the brink of a full-blown overhaul—and Saban’s right back in the middle of it.

Cody Campbell—this former Texas Tech baller turned oil tycoon flipped his company, Double Eagle, for $3 billion in cash and nearly 7 million Diamondback Energy shares. He’s the man behind the Matador Club, the NIL powerhouse that helped Tech snag the top transfer class in the nation. Now, with none other than Nick Saban linking arms with him, the duo’s got Uncle Sam’s attention.

Nick Saban might’ve just gone from analyst to architect. First, he ran the SEC. Now? He might help redesign the entire sport.

Nick Saban wasn’t all in on Donald Trump’s idea

Let’s be real—Saban didn’t exactly jump at the job. The 7-time natty winning HC flat-out questioned the whole idea. “I don’t know a lot about the commission… I’m not sure we really need a commission,” Saban told Paul Finebaum earlier this week. That’s not vague hesitation—that’s full-blown side-eye.

His take? The problems in college football ain’t some secret code. “A lot of people know exactly what the issues are… we just gotta get together and fix it,” he said. And while he’s fine with athletes making money, he made it clear—this ain’t sustainable. “It’s probably not in the best interest of student-athletes or the game.”

Funny twist? This whole commission idea apparently came outta Trump’s mouth at Bama’s spring graduation. Saban said Trump heard the noise—“college football’s messed up”—and decided to low-key build a think tank. But Saban isn’t trying to play the politician. He warned against pay-for-play, hinted at federal help, and still doesn’t see players as employees.

He’s cool with NIL—but only when it’s real branding, not “cash-for-snaps.” His message? Bring some rules, or college football’s brand goes bust. “We need to protect the brand… the way it’s going right now is not sustainable,” he said.

Bottom line: Saban might be in… but he’s was definitely not all in by the looks of it.