ESPN’s Nick Saban looks on from the set of College Gameday prior to the CFP Semifinal Cotton Bowl Classic between Ohio State and Texas on January 10, 2025 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. MATTHEW VISINSKY/ICON SPORTSWIRE
Nick Saban has found success as a college football coach, TV analyst and car dealership investor.
Now the six-time national champion at Alabama is dipping his toes into the hockey world.
Saban and Dream Sports Ventures LLC partner Joe Agresti recently purchased a minority stake in the Nashville Predators, the team announced on Dec. 16. They join an ownership group led by former Tennessee governor Bill Haslam, who became chairman of the franchise in July 2024 and took over as majority owner one year later.
Saban is a longtime Predators fan who’s had his eye on expanding his investment portfolio.
“Although I am now retired as a coach, I still possess a competitive nature and a great passion for sports,” Saban said in a release. “Being involved in a sports team in Nashville has always been a goal and the opportunity to partner in the Predators with a class act like Bill Haslam created the perfect scenario for us. The Preds are a great organization with a fantastic brand, and we are excited to be part of the future success of the franchise.”
NHL franchise values have skyrocketed in recent years thanks to lucrative national media rights deals, revised revenue sharing formulas and league expansion. The Predators are worth an estimated $1.6 billion in total, according to data compiled by Sportico.
The percentage of Dream Sports Ventures LLC’s stake in the team was not disclosed.
“I am really looking forward to having coach Nick Saban and Joe Agresti as a part of our ownership group,” Haslam said. “Coach is one of the all-time greats in college football history and one of the winningest coaches in all of sports. We are excited to have him join us in our pursuit of championships on the ice in Nashville.”
Saban and Agresti, who’ve been partners since 2013, built a successful car dealership business known as Dream Motor Group even while Saban was still coaching the Crimson Tide. Their 10-dealership portfolio primarily consists of luxury vehicle brands, including Mercedes-Benz of Music City and Prancing Horse of Nashville, along with locations in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Texas.
Saban, of course, made his name with a legendary run on the sidelines.
His resume includes an NCAA record seven national titles – six at Alabama and one at LSU – 11 SEC championships, 292 career wins and a spot in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Following his retirement from coaching in 2023, he joined ESPN as an analyst for “College GameDay” and other network programming.
Saban seemed to take an interest in the Predators when the team made its first-ever run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017. More recently, he spent time in July observing Nashville’s development camp for its newly drafted prospects.
“He sat with the coaches and was around for a day,” Predators coach Andrew Brunette said. “That was a cool experience for everybody. How can you not be a sponge around him?”
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