The legendary Nick Saban will be a part of the next step in improving the world of college sports. It will be a new playing ground for the veteran coach after he announced his retirement from football after coaching for almost 23 years. And now that he is commemorated as one of the best coaches in America, it only made sense that he be a vital part of the discussion that Senator Ted Crus will be hosting in Washington.

Nick Saban, the former coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide, was the true foundation of Alabama’s legacy that has been established in the past decade. He joined on with the team in 2009 and since then, made Alabama a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming years with a wave of national championships. Saban’s retirement came as a shock to the sport but realized it was for the best for the 72-year-old veteran. A national treasure, Saban will now make his mark on the political field by providing his input to Senator Cruz.

Nick Saban to be one of the several renowned guests to join Ted Cruz’s roundtable discussion

It has recently been announced that Nick Saban will be joining Senator Ted Cruz in a discussion that will talk about the future of college athletics. The meeting is set to take place in Washington and the former Alabama coach has supposedly been invited for his major impact and significance on the sport of college football.

According to a recent report, the roundtable will be focused on, “the urgent need for Congress to find consensus and pass bipartisan legislation to codify name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights for student-athletes.” More notable names on the list include Senator Jerry Roman, Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne, NIL stars Haley and Hanna Cavinder, and NIL Attorney Darren Heitner. With the NIL policies as a hot topic of discussion, maybe the Senator’s meeting can end up appeasing the fans as well as the players with how the financial incentives are dealt with. With all that said, everyone has been speculating whether Saban could ever step into the political landmine as the next step in his career aspirations but his childhood friend, Senator Joe Manchin, refuted the claims.

Could politics be the next big step for Alabama’s Nick Saban?

There’s a lot to be said about Saban’s success as a coach but one thing that sets him aside is that he has an influence over the masses. Whether it be Alabama’s rivals or the fans, all acknowledge the immense impact of Saban on the world of college football and respect it admirably. It is because of this influence that Saban has a bright future awaiting him in the field of politics if he chooses to make that move.

But Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, talked about Saban and how he’s unlikely to ever don the suits of the political world. He said, “First of all you can put that out of your mind, because Nick won’t run. He would never run. I’ve know him since he was 4 years old. I’m godparents to his son. We’re very, very close.” Manchin’s words ended up disappointing the Alabama fans who were hoping to see Saban run for the Senate. Thus, Saban will probably not try and win any championships as a political figure but will continue to rest on the legacy that he built over the span of a decade as the world of college football continues to miss him.

Read more: Was Nick Saban a Dictator? Disciple Kirby Smart Reveals Details of Ex Alabama HC’s Leadership Style

Will Nick Saban ever change his mind about coming to politics? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.