Given the nature of the college football coaching landscape, Nick Saban has no reason to want to leave the University of Alabama, and vice versa.
Though his name comes up this time every year attached to various collegiate programs and professional teams, Saban has stood pat. But for Saban, staying in Tuscaloosa is no longer just about Alabama Crimson Tide football.
"No, I really don't. I don't see it ever happening, and I know every year somebody has me going somewhere else," he told ESPN.com. "I think a lot of it isn't just about the coaching part. What people don't understand is they forget you're a person. They forget you have a wife and two kids and a grandbaby, and they all live in Birmingham."
Unsurprisingly, Saban was connected to the NFL this offseason, but reports stating the Indianapolis Colts were willing to hand him the team and the front office, a la Bill Belichick in New England. After all, the NFL is where Saban was unsuccessful, taking over the Miami Dolphins after building a reputation at Michigan State and LSU.
Only when he returned to the college game did he assert himself as a model of consistency and greatness. Saban has won three National Championships with Alabama, nine SEC West titles, and six conference championships. 25-5 in its last 30 SEC matchups, the Tide always seem to be in contention for the national title.
Saban also does not have a reason to leave UA, a school that every so often ups his pay to be competitive with his most well-compensated peers. He told ESPN.com he knows he will not always be able to live up to expectations he and UA hold him to.
"But I know a day is coming where that standard can't be met," he said. "You cannot keep that up. There's going to be some period of time... where you're not at that level. If you look at every coach's record, it's just not possible to sustain that level of success all the time."
