In a long-expected yet still stunning move, legendary head coach Nick Saban has announced his retirement from the University of Alabama football program after leading the Crimson Tide to unprecedented heights over the past 15 seasons. Saban leaves the college game with a case as the undisputed greatest coach in college football history.
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Saban’s Tenure of Sustained Excellence
When Saban arrived at Alabama in 2007 after coaching stops at Toledo, Michigan State and a brief flirtation with the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, he inherited a storied yet underachieving program coming off a 6-7 season.
After posting just a 12-2 record his first year, Saban quickly molded Alabama into the most dominant program in the country. His teams rattled off five national championships over the next nine seasons, overwhelming opponents with Saban’s signature suffocating defense and a plug-and-play offense spearheaded by a revolving door of elite running backs and wide receivers.
From 2009 to 2019, Alabama won at least 10 games every single season, with just 15 total losses over that span. Saban captured conference titles in 2009, 2012 and every year between 2014 and 2020. Along with the unprecedented team success, dozens of Saban’s players were selected in the NFL Draft after being developed into stars under his tutelage.
By Any Measure, The GOAT Departs
Saban retires with six career national championships, tied with Paul “Bear” Bryant for the most ever by a major college head coach. When adding in his title at LSU in 2003, Saban separates himself by winning championships across four different decades—the only coach ever to do so.
His final career record of 274-65-1 gives him the highest winning percentage among coaches with at least 10 seasons under their belt. And Saban achieved this unyielding success in the era of free agency, high athlete turnover, and his own conference rapidly improving thanks to his astronomical success raising the game.
Even coming off a rare two-loss season at 10-2 in 2022, Saban remained at the mountaintop as players continued vying fiercely to earn one of his coveted 85 scholarships. In the cutthroat SEC where coaches rarely last five years without a title, Saban’s ability to avoid complacency and motivation burnout year after year stands apart as a case study in consistent excellence across leadership arenas far beyond sports.
A New Era Begins for Alabama
Of course, the key question now is who can possibly replace the irreplaceable? Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne has enormous shoes to fill, made even more challenging by the immediate pressure of keeping Alabama atop the college football hierarchy that Saban has entrenched so thoroughly.
Early names being floated include hot young offensive guru Lane Kiffin, recently let go Super Bowl winner Sean Payton itching for a new challenge, and current Tide offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien after his previous Penn State and Houston Texans head coaching stints. Former Saban assistant Steve Sarkisian also merits a look after finding quick success in rebuilding Texas.
But for now, the college football world will rightfully pause to salute the one and only Nick Saban after nearly two straight decades of unprecedented accomplishment. As he steps away into retirement, Saban leaves behind a boggling legacy of titles and sustained greatness that may never be touched.
