Alabama head coach Nick Saban allegedly set to retire
According to ESPN’s Chris Low, Alabama’s Nick Saban is reportedly preparing to retire. Saban most recently lead the Crimson Tide over the Bulldogs in the SEC title and to a loss in the semi-final game against the eventual national championship-winning Michigan Wolverines.
Saban is recognized as one of, if not the best coach in Alabama history, but also in college football history. Saban won six national championships with the Crimson Tide and seven in his career. Saban finishes his career with a record of 292-71-1.
Saban started his career with his alma mater Kent State as a graduate assistant and finally worked his way up to be a head coach at Toledo.
Saban, after a spell with Michigan State, guided LSU to a national championship before heading off to the NFL for two years.
In 2007, Saban returned to college football with the Crimson Tide and has had one of the best college head coaching careers in history.
Saban has coached several coaches that are head coaches at prominent programs. The most noteworthy is Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, whom Saban lost to in the 2021 national championship and has won more national titles than any of his previous prodigies.
Others include Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, Florida head coach Billy Napier, Oregon head coach and former Georgia assistant Dan Lanning and Georgia defensive assistants like Will Muschamp and Glenn Schumann.
Lanning is presently the reported favorite to take over the coaching post. Kiffin has also been linked to the post.
Others, like Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney — who was an Alabama assistant coach at one point — have also been linked to the post.
It’s unknown what Alabama’s team may look like next season with Saban’s departure. Many players may transfer out and its unclear what may happen to the Crimson Tides 2024 signing class.
In 2024, the Bulldogs and the Crimson Tide will play off for the first time in the regular season since 2020, but won’t have the same allure that had the assistant squaring off against his former boss.
Alabama will still likely have a solid squad and a good coach no matter who takes the position.
The landscape of college football suddenly becomes a little murky, but Georgia, who’s been expected to be atop both the SEC and the sport in 2024, may have an easier route with Saban calling it a career.
