Making Nick Saban his first choice, Former Broncos TE adds Joel Klatt’s name on CFB commissioner shortlist

A little over a year after Nick Saban retired from coaching, there is interest in the college football community in him returning in another role. There has been a lot of talk from the media and fans about introducing a college football commissioner. The idea of this role is that they would not be biased towards any one conference, like the SEC, Big Ten, or ACC commissioners.

On Thursday, a new episode of “Next Up with Adam Breneman” was released. Former Denver Broncos tight end Jake Butt appeared on the show as the guest. He was asked who he thinks would be a good fit as commissioner. Although he responded quickly with Nick Saban, he also suggested analyst Joel Klatt (Timestamp 10:00).

“Saban is probably the obvious one right?” Butt said. “Joel Klatt does some great stuff too, and he clearly puts the time in and thinks about it. I think he’d do a great job. He’s a trustworthy guy. I would want it to be someone that doesn’t want the job and that’s just my philosophy with politics in general.”

“Saban doesn’t need the money. Saban doesn’t need the fame, but Saban clearly knows the intricacies of the game. I think he would do right by the players.”

Although Joel Klatt does not have a long history as a player or coach, he is highly respected in the college football world. He has built an impressive broadcasting career and speaks about different aspects of college football intelligently. He is well-versed in both the game on the field and the business aspect of the sport.

Penn State head coach James Franklin brought up the idea of Nick Saban becoming the CFB commissioner in December

Jake Butt is not the first person to suggest that Nick Saban would be a good pick to be the CFB commissioner. Penn State head coach James Franklin also brought up his name in December.

“I think one of the most important things we can do is, let’s get a commissioner of college football that is waking up every single morning and going to bed every single night making decisions that’s in the best interest of college football,” Franklin said. “I think Nick Saban would be the obvious choice if we made that decision.”

While Nick Saban appears to be a popular choice to be commissioner, there has not been any official public report about adding a CFB commissioner.