Ever since Donald Trump’s Alabama commencement speech, the rumor mill has been churning about a Presidential Commission for college sports. There were whispers that Nick Saban might even co-chair it with Cody Campbell. But let’s be real, the GOAT already has a ton on his plate. A booming career as an ESPN analyst, fresh off an Emmy award, plus all his charity work. Saban quickly squashed those rumors, and now an analyst is also dismissing the idea of bringing in a CEO with football ties. This puts a bigger question mark on Trump’s grand plan to reform NIL.

Well, the House vs. NCAA lawsuit might finally see its happy or sad end this week. But analyst RJ Young just dropped a bombshell on the entire drama. So, as we await the final verdict on the new revenue-sharing model (which could bring up to $20 million in funds) to pass this week, ESPN’s Pete Thamel shed light on an interesting detail. The resolution actually proposes a new College Sports Commission. This commission would oversee revenue sharing and make sure everyone is following the NIL rules. With a million-dollar-plus salary, the new boss will be super visible as college athletics navigates this tricky financial and legal landscape. In fact, the Power Four commissioners are already on the hunt for the perfect CEO to lead the entire commission.

So, what’s better than a sports person taking up the charge, right? But FOX Sports analyst RJ Young expects them to be outside of the sports bubble.  “But the CEO is also expected to be hired pretty quickly, and I’ll be very curious to find out who it is. I don’t think this is going to be a football person. As a matter of fact, I can almost guarantee this is not going to be a football person, because I don’t think anybody would be able to agree on who that football person should be,” Young said.

Young buys the idea of getting a CEO who has certain experience in handling such stuff, whether he’s from an athletic background or not. “It’s probably going to be somebody with something like an athletic background in college and something like working around athletics at the college level. Could be someone from any walk. But the thing that I think is most important about this is that this hire is really going to have to go through a very intense and deep process to be this person—and to also win the hearts and minds of everybody believing that you have the interest of the sport at heart,” Young said.

For years, coaches have clamored for strong leadership to address inconsistencies in NIL deals, the transfer portal, and pay-for-play issues. This newly appointed, CEO-level figure won’t be a celebrity, but their compensation—a reported seven-figure salary—certainly reflects significant importance.

While the NCAA isn’t disappearing, this hire signifies a major shift in college football’s self-governance. The NCAA’s lax enforcement of transfer and tampering rules has fueled widespread frustration; this new leader aims to quell that unrest. The Power Five conferences want someone credible and decisive, a steady hand to guide college football through its new era of financial upheaval, player mobility, and dramatic change. But it looks like Nick Saban doesn’t want to be a part of this change.

Nick Saban is putting the brakes on Co-Chair rumors

The idea of Nick Saban being an integral part of Donald Trump’s NIL commission makes sense, knowing his experience and background. But as much as he is honored to be a part of it, that’s not something Saban wants to get involved in. Shocking, right?

“I know there’s been a lot of stuff out there about some commission or whatever. I don’t think we need a commission. I’ve said that before,” Saban said. “I think we need — we know what the issues are; we just have to have people who are willing to move those and solve those and create some solutions for some of those issues. I’m all for being a consultant to anybody who would think that my experience would be beneficial to helping create some of those solutions.”

While he often calls himself a “consultant,” Nick Saban seems to favor a behind-the-scenes support role rather than leading the charge on NIL. Since retirement, he’s emphasized that NIL wasn’t his reason for leaving coaching, though he’d grown concerned about the sport’s trajectory. As NIL’s complexities increase, the need for regulation becomes more apparent, a point Saban readily acknowledges, offering to help anyone working to improve college athletics.

Even if he prefers a less public role in the NIL debate, Saban’s insights are crucial. He understands both NIL’s advantages and its drawbacks for athletes and programs. Saban’s still the man when it comes to college football’s future, bringing a lifetime of wisdom to the table, whether he likes it or not!