Lane Kiffin Tells How Nick Saban Would Be Perfect to Fix 'Wild, Wild West' of College Football

In a hypothetical scenario, would Nick Saban make a good college football commissioner?

Oct 2, 2021; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin talks with Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban before the start of an NCAA college football game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Butch Dill-Imagn Images / Butch Dill-Imagn Images

College football is a great sport, but it also has a lot of problems in the modern day.

The systems surrounding NIL and the transfer portal have turned the sport on its head in recent years, and while these new variables have their benefits, plenty of challenges also come in their wake.

And, of course, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has opinions on the matter.

In a "fireside chat" with Kiffin and Duke head coach Manny Diaz ahead of Thursday's Gator Bowl, a media member posed a question about a potential "commissioner" of college football, a person who is able to oversee these areas of the sport that have gotten out of hand.

This media member put it bluntly in his question: college football's current state is comparable to the "Wild, Wild West." Ole Miss' bowl game opponent in Duke has already seen a star quarterback and running back hit the portal since the regular season concluded, so this topic definitely hits close to home in Jacksonville this week.

"Yeah, there needs to be something," Kiffin said in response. "As you mentioned, Wild, Wild West, it’s just kind of all over the place, and the schedule, and for coaches to deal with players going in the portal,."

"I mentioned it before, like Manny’s situation, here goes your quarterback in the portal. We’re still playing. You would never create a system in any professional sports that has things figured out that would have free agency right at the end of the regular season before the postseason."

One name that has been floated as a potential fit in this hypothetical commissioner role is none other than Kiffin's former boss in Nick Saban. Saban, a legendary head coach who won multiple national championships with the Alabama Crimson Tide, was the head man in Tuscaloosa when Kiffin was Alabama's offensive coordinator.

Kiffin himself has voted for Saban to be the commissioner of college football on social media, and he didn't pull back from that in his comments on Wednesday.

Some great stuff here. I vote Coach Saban https://t.co/S15oFydPGY

— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) December 23, 2024

"There’s a lot of problems, a lot of issues," Kiffin said. "You mentioned Coach Saban. I can’t imagine there being a better person that genuinely has the best interest for the game and the kids. He always has. He’s always been old school that way. So, there couldn’t be a better person than him to do it."

Saban is currently an analyst on ESPN's College GameDay, a role that he has fit nicely in since retiring from coaching. Still, if duty were to call him up to help "save" college football, could he say no?

At the very least, he has Lane Kiffin's vote, and that should count for something.