Mack Brown will not be the coach at Texas forever. If Texans fans, and a particular Texas regent has their way, Nick Saban will be the next coach. The Associated Press is reporting that a regent reached out to Nick Saban’s agent, Jimmy Sexton after the national championship game last year:
Regent Wallace Hall of Dallas told the AP he spoke by telephone with agent Jimmy Sexton a few days after the Jan. 7 game. Tom Hicks, a former regent who is the brother of current Regent Steve Hicks, also was on the call. Tom Hicks, the former owner of the Texas Rangers, the Dallas Stars and the English professional soccer team Liverpool, was a regent in 1997 when Brown came to Texas and was instrumental in hiring him away from North Carolina.
Two days after the call with Sexton, Tom Hicks met with Brown over lunch and told him about the call, according to several people who spoke with the AP. He asked Brown if he was ready to retire.
Brown, who had just finished his 15th season at Texas, said he wanted to keep coaching and the matter was dropped.
If this is accurate, the BIG money people are done with Mack Brown and are ready for Saban to lead the program back to prominence. This is when Mack has to start to worry. When millionaire donors are having secret meetings and wanting you to retire, your time is up. Saban makes $5.6 million/year at Alabama but Texas would likely go in the $8 million range to lure Saban away from Tuscaloosa.
Before you jump up and down Longhorns fans, let me say this: I don’t believe Nick Saban is leaving Alabama. He has full control over the best program in America right now and his wife is on the record as loving being there. To me, that matters way more than people realize. However, we know two things about Nick Saban. He will win and he will listen to offers.