Even After Extension, Lane Kiffin Still Doesn’t Think Nick Saban Gets Paid Enough

Lane Kiffin gets asked about Nick Saban and Alabama a lot. He was the Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator from 2014-16, so it makes sense. But a lot of it has to do with the incredible answers the Ole Miss coach provides when asked about his former boss.

On Tuesday morning, Kiffin made an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show. And guess what? Saban was brought up. Patrick asked about Saban’s worth to the Alabama program, if you were to put a dollar figure on it.

Here was Kiffin’s response:

“Way more than what he makes,” Kiffin said, via The Clarion Ledger. “I understand faculty and when people say, ‘OK, how does a guy like that make that much money when he’s just coaching football?’ But the money he brings into the program and the university. When a football program’s rolling, the university changes, student applications change, so tuition goes up. Everything changes.

“So as crazy as it is, kids around the country watch a football program doing well and say, ‘I want to go there.’ Even though they don’t play football.”

"A little bit at times, especially when [Saban] announces that his back up quarterback from last year is getting a $1 million. That's going to be a little hard to recruit against."

–@Lane_Kiffin tells us it can be difficult recruiting against Saban and @AlabamaFTBL at times 😂 pic.twitter.com/t6Y7sjfHqG

— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) August 3, 2021

Saban’s new contract extension is worth $84.8 million over the next eight years, running through February of 2029. Even with him now averaging $10.6 million annually, that still doesn’t put a dent in the money he brings in for Alabama.

That wasn’t the only Alabama-related topic Kiffin was asked about, however. Earlier in the interview, he was asked whether things sometimes feel hopeless at other SEC programs since the Alabama program has done so well in the last decade-plus. Kiffin made sure to bring up another huge advantage for the Tide.

“A little bit,” Kiffin said. “You know at times in recruiting, especially, when he announces that his backup quarterback from last year is getting $1 million. That’s gonna be a little hard to recruit against. I mean, he just accidentally threw that out there. He didn’t do that on purpose.”

His point is fair. Attempting to recruit against Alabama has already been difficult. Now that Bryce Young, a quarterback who hasn’t even started a game yet, is already closing in on seven-figure money, the challenge is now even harder.

But it’s not hard to love the honesty Kiffin brings to the table during his interviews.

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Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.