TUSCALOOSA – A magazine has declared Nick Saban the most powerful coach in sports.

Forbes Magazine’s upcoming issue features Saban on the cover. The article said no other coach boasts Saban’s “combination of money, control and influence.”

He will be the first college football coach to make the Forbes cover since the magazine was started in 1917.

The issue comes out Friday.

Alabama gave Saban an eight-year, $32 million contract last January.

The article also said Saban has had a positive influence on the university’s capital campaign and the quality of applicants for enrollment.