One of the most interesting coaching searches in the country right now is the vacancy left at West Virginia following the firing of Neal Brown.
Many names have surfaced in the search, including Bill Belichick, Rich Rodriguez, Jimbo Fisher, and Andy Kotelnicki, but one new name entered the fold on Monday afternoon.
That individual happens to be former Alabama coach Nick Saban, a legend in the world of college sports and a coworker of Pat McAfee’s on ESPN’s College GameDay broadcast. McAfee discussed the opening in Morgantown on Monday morning’s broadcast of the Pat McAfee Show and mentioned that the sheer amount of names in contention for the job is incredible.
“A lot of people want that job,” McAfee said. “They don’t have me working the phones, but everybody who wants the job is calling me and asking for support. I got a chance to chat with Wren Baker yesterday a little bit, and I have faith in him.”
Understandably, fans asked about the possibility of Saban returning to coaching as a Mountaineer, which McAfee discussed, saying, “Saban’s having a good time. He’s enjoying College GameDay, but I don’t think he’s getting back into coaching. I have asked him 1,000 times if he wants to coach West Virginia, and he said no, but I do believe he’s interested in helping West Virginia.”
What that means could be a number of things, including putting in a good word with a former coworker in the coaching industry or something as simple as cheering them on from afar.
While Nick Saban may be out of the West Virginia coaching search, the team remains in high spirits about landing the right person.
