When you hear the name Nick Saban, you typically think of one of the most decorated college football coaches of all time. This is the case still for Nashville Predators fans, but they soon might have to get used to the idea of Saban being an active owner.
Back in December of 2025, Nick Saban was announced as a new minority owner via Dream Sports Ventures LLC, which he runs along with business partner Joe Agresti. Originally, it was stated that Saban would not be taking a day-to-day role with the team, but instead would spend more time behind the scenes with players and coaches. Now, though, it seems that Saban's role and involvement are evolving.
Back in February, reports came out that Saban would be a part of the GM search committee to help find the successor to Barry Trotz. His mission would be to help build culture, as voiced by majority owner Bill Haslam. That was back in February.
Fast forward to April. The trade deadline has come and gone, the Predators pushed through a playoff race till the very end but came up short, and the search still continues for a new general manager. Then we get a piece of reporting from everyone's favorite NHL insider, Elliotte Friedman, that Saban's role had expanded.
As reported in the Tennessean by Alex Daugherty, Friedman had this to say about Saban's involvement.
""I believe that in this round of in person (interviews), Nick Saban’s played a pretty big role," Friedman said during an April 17 episode of "32 Thoughts: The Podcast." "I think he’s asking questions, I think he’s sizing up the candidates."Alex Daugherty, the Tennessean
"
This is interesting, especially considering that originally the search for the Predators GM was orginally handed of the agency CAA, but a direct conflict of interest stemmed from Nick Saban, who was represented by CAA agent Jimmy Sexton. This created a conflict that CAA deemed it would be better to walk away from, with a nod from the NHLPA who seemed to be in agreement.
So now Saban, a college legend with a record of 297-71-1 in 28 seasons and 7 national championship victories, is helping pick the person who will be primarily in charge of picking the players who will be trying to win the Predators' first championship.
It seems that Saban's influence has helped lead to the Predators branching out from internal candidates. Check out this tweet from Frank Seravalli.
#Smashville GM search:
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) April 20, 2026
> At least three candidates have had multiple, in-person interviews: Bill Scott, Brett Peterson and Scott White.
> Tom Fitzgerald expected to interview this week.
> Internal interviewees Jeff Kealty and Scott Nichol have been informed they are no longer…
Obviously, Saban has a proven track record when it comes to college football, and he's made a big impact on both Alabama and college football as a whole. He's had a series of coaches move on from working under him to running their own programs, or jumping to the professional ranks. Clearly, he has some level of talent in judging character.
Hockey people are not exactly like football people, but if you're looking at the Predators and hoping they become a strong winning program, maybe Saban's take is exactly the one that is needed.
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