Texas' overtures to Saban unauthorized
A clandestine conversation between University of Texas representatives and Alabama coach Nick Saban's agent was not authorized by Texas officials, the school president said Thursday.
Also Thursday, Saban responded to rumors about his job on his weekly radio show by saying, "Quite frankly, you know, I am just too damn old to start over someplace else to be honest with you."
Texas president Bill Powers told the Austin American-Statesman that he recently became aware of the meeting between one current and one former regent with Saban's representative when a fan website reported that a discussion took place in January.
The Tuscaloosa News said that Saban's agent, Jimmy Sexton, was contacted by the Texas people two days after the Crimson Tide defeated Notre Dame in the BCS title game. It was unclear who initiated the conversation.
Current Texas regent Wallace Hall and former regent Tom Hicks wanted to gauge Saban's interest in coaching the Longhorns if Mack Brown was no longer the coach in Austin. Hicks is the former owner of the Texas Rangers, and his brother Stephen is currently a regent.
Two days after having the conversation with Sexton, Hicks met with Brown and discussed the possibility of Brown stepping down. Brown indicated he wanted to fulfill his contract and would continue coaching.
When asked about the conversation, Saban told the Tuscaloosa News that he was not aware it had taken place.
"Nothing went on that I know of. I don't know about any of this stuff," Saban said. "I haven't talked to anybody about that particular situation. They have a coach there."
The 62-year-old Brown, who will be paid $5.4 million this year, is under contract until 2020. The Longhorns won the BCS Championship Game in 2005 but lost to Saban and the Crimson Tide in 2010 in the title game.
Since then, the Longhorns are 23-18 and have struggled to keep Texas fans satisfied. As the losses and poor play have mounted, so have calls for Brown to step down.
This year, the Longhorns are 1-2 and a disaster on the defensive side of the ball.
