As news spread of football coach Mack Brown's impending resignation at the University of Texas, so, too, did talk rekindle involving Alabama coach Nick Saban being named Brown's successor.
Brown later refuted a report from OrangeBloods.com that he was stepping down.
CollegeSpun.com reported Tuesday that a prankster had Saban paged at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, causing several tweets reporting about the page.
Meanwhile, Al.com reported Tuesday that Saban was in Ohio, recruiting three top prospects. It wrote that Saban and the Alabama staff have been recruiting the each of the Ohio prospects, but they were expected to sign with Ohio State.
If Saban had new information about which school he could offer the recruits, that would be a good reason for the visit.
The Oklahoma Sooners face Saban's current team, the Crimson Tide, in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 2, and the Daily Oklahoman newspaper wrote about the terrifying prospects of the Sooners having to face a Nick Saban-coached team every year, assuming the rumors linking him to the Texas job come true.
Texas president Bill Powers on Friday flatly denied even meeting Saban, much less talking to him about a job that at the time wasn't open.
Last month, Saban told ESPN that he was "too damn old" to leave Alabama and start over.
"I've sort of addressed this situation before," Saban said to ESPN's Tom Rinaldi on Wednesday. "I'm totally committed to the University of Alabama."
According to ESPN, however, it was Saban's agent, Jimmy Sexton, who told Texas officials in January that Texas was the only school he'd consider leaving Alabama for and that the Crimson Tide's recent success had put Saban under "special pressure."
ESPN said that "special pressure" was never explained, but Saban was criticized for his decision to try a last-second 57 yard field goal against Auburn in the Nov. 30 Iron Bowl that resulted in a fluke 109-yard return for a touchdown.
The website Terez Owens said Saban's move to Texas was "almost a done deal" on Dec. 6.
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