Nick Saban’s legacy in school soccer is past dispute. Over a 28-year head teaching profession, he compiled a unprecedented 292–71–1 file and captured seven nationwide championships, six with Alabama and one with LSU, securing his place as probably the most profitable school coach of the trendy period. Throughout his 16 seasons main the Crimson Tide, Nick Saban earned round $130 million in wage and bonuses, inserting him among the many highest-paid coaches in sports activities historical past.
You may assume a résumé like that will be sufficient to name it a profession. Apparently not for coach Saban!
Whereas he was dominating the school soccer world, Nick was additionally quietly constructing a enterprise empire that would rival his on-field success. This empire, which has nothing to do with soccer, will virtually actually flip him right into a billionaire throughout the subsequent few years. Particularly if his newest funding pays off…
(Picture by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Photos)
Shopping for Into the NHL
Right now, the Nashville Predators introduced that Nick Saban and longtime enterprise companion Joe Agresti had bought a minority possession stake within the franchise by way of an entity referred to as Dream Sports activities Ventures LLC. The deal introduced Saban and Agresti into an possession group led by franchise chairman and majority proprietor Invoice Haslam, the previous two-term governor of Tennessee.
“Though I’m now retired as a coach, I nonetheless possess a aggressive nature and a fantastic ardour for sports activities,” Saban stated in a press release asserting the deal. “Being concerned in a sports activities staff in Nashville has at all times been a objective.“
The valuation and dimension of Nick and Joe’s funding weren’t revealed. Previous to their funding, the staff was value $1.6 billion, up from $1.3 billion only a yr earlier. If Nick and Joe purchased a ten% stake at that $1.6 billion valuation, meaning they simply ponied up a mixed $160 million. Even when they purchased a smaller stake, how on earth might a former school soccer coach, even one who earned $130 million, afford to place up that a lot money to buy a part of an NHL staff??? Glad you requested.
The Dream Motor Group Basis
Lengthy earlier than he purchased into an NHL staff, Saban had already positioned himself as a severe businessman. In 2013, he partnered with Joe Agresti, an auto business government who had constructed a popularity as some of the disciplined and data-driven dealership operators within the nation. Their partnership led to the creation of Dream Motor Group, which has since grown into one of many most profitable luxurious auto vendor networks within the southeastern United States.
Dream Motor Group now operates dealerships throughout Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas, and Florida, promoting Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, and Infiniti autos. In 2023, the corporate made headlines with a roughly $700 million acquisition of two Miami-area Mercedes-Benz dealerships, a deal that included the underlying actual property and considerably expanded the group’s footprint.
In 2025, Dream Motor Group was reportedly on tempo to generate near $2 billion in annual income, inserting it firmly in rarefied territory for privately held dealership teams.
Dream Motor Group at the moment owns and operates the next dealerships:
- Mercedes-Benz of Birmingham (Irondale, Alabama)
- Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge (Louisiana)
- Mercedes-Benz of The Woodlands (Texas)
- Mercedes-Benz of Music Metropolis (Nashville, Tennessee)
- Mercedes-Benz of Coral Gables (Florida)
- Mercedes-Benz of Cutler Bay (Florida)
- Ferrari of Nashville
- Infiniti of Hoover (Alabama)
Whereas Dream Motor Group is privately held and doesn’t publish financials, there may be one key information level that gives perception into its worth: Joe Agresti’s private internet value. Primarily based on the worth of Dream Motor Group, Joe Agresti’s internet value is $1.1 billion.
Primarily based on that quantity, we will do some serviette math. If Agresti owns 50% of the enterprise, Dream Motor Group could be value round $2.2 billion. If his possession is nearer to 70% or 80%, the implied valuation would nonetheless land between $1.4 billion and $1.6 billion.
Below any of these eventualities, Nick Saban’s stake is extraordinarily worthwhile. A ten% possession curiosity could possibly be value anyplace from $140 million to greater than $220 million. A 20% stake might vary from $280 million to $440 million. And if Saban owns nearer to 30%, his share might strategy $600 million or extra at present valuations.
From Coach to Sports activities Proprietor
The Nashville Predators funding provides a brand new layer to Saban’s portfolio. It additionally matches neatly alongside Dream Motor Group’s present presence in Nashville, the place the corporate already operates two high-profile dealerships: Mercedes-Benz of Music Metropolis and Ferrari of Nashville.
If, by way of a mixture of distinctive execution and extraordinary luck, Dream Motor Group’s valuation ever climbs to $3 billion — and if Nick actually owns a 30% stake — his share alone could be value round $900 million. Mixed with the cash he earned teaching and his NHL funding, there is a very actual risk Nick Saban can be a billionaire in some unspecified time in the future within the subsequent few years.
For Nick Saban, the championships are already secured. Now, quietly and methodically, he is constructing one thing that would final even longer than his soccer dynasty.
