Nick Saban Calls it Quits
What a career. What a coach. Nick Saban is done. What’s next? Probably TV. He has to do something because you don’t go from 6a-11p daily to shutting down. Let’s have a look back at the career of the former Syracuse outside linebackers coach (1977) and greatest college head football coach ever.
Saban is the greatest college head football coach of all-time and there really isn’t a close second. Pick a style and an era and he wins, period. Lose an assistant? Beats them all save Kirby Smart, although Saban did that in his final victory in 2023 against Georgia in the SEC championship game. You do something well? He takes it away. He wins with a running game and defense and play action and the game changes to mostly passing and RPO? He changes with it, brings in better players, and kicks your behind. It’s simply been amazing to follow this guy’s career. GOAT, indeed.
Saban won seven national titles overall, one at LSU and six at Alabama. He was at LSU from 2000-2004 and at Alabama from 2007-2023. In-between? Miami Dolphins head coach, where he went 9-7 and 6-10 and is forever called a bad HC, which really isn’t true. Some of his tactics didn’t work, but that happens all the time. Remember, Saban wanted Drew Brees despite having his shoulder operated on. Dr. James Andrews even assured everyone that Brees would be fine, but the Dolphins reported a failed physical and thought otherwise. Does that sound like someone who didn’t know what he was doing? Saban was one of the few who saw through the team reports and failed physical. Brees is heading to the Hall of Fame, as we all know. Imagine college football history if things had gone the other way. Imagine NFL history if things had gone the other way. Amazing.
How about some other numbers? Saban owns a 292-71-1 head coaching record in college. He owns 11 SEC titles and 12 SEC Western Division titles. He coached at 12 places overall as a head coach and an assistant, 10 of which were in the college ranks and two in the pro ranks.
Saban’s greatest attribute? Guts. Guts in changing his entire offense to adapt to the modern game and still crushing people game by game. Guts in benching sophomore Jalen Hurts for freshman Tua Tagovailoa in the 2017 national title game against Georgia, which led to a 41-yard incredible touchdown throw in overtime to DeVonta Smith on 2nd and 26 to beat the Bulldogs 26-23 to win it all.
There are two things I love and admire about Saban. His passion for the game is one. He literally can make a complete moron understand anything about football. RPO, Cover 2, any offensive or defensive concepts known to football man kind. He is simply a football genius. The other thing I love is how he is a grinder. Many young people know him only as head coach of Alabama. Guess what? He grinded to get there, grinded at places like Kent State and Syracuse and West Virginia and Ohio State and Navy and on and on it went until he dominated LSU in the SEC and eventually Alabama in the same conference. He worked his way up. He didn’t wake up a champion with millions in the bank. He earned it. He deserves it. He is the GOAT.
Will there be another Nick Saban? Maybe. Maybe not. There may be someone to come along who wins as many titles or someone currently who catches him, like Kirby Smart at Georgia. But right now it doesn’t matter.
We were here to witness it. We saw him dominate and change and change and change again and dominate and win seven titles and just about everything along the way. He set the standard for everyone else. He did it the right way. He did it the best way.
Cap tip to the GOAT.
Mike Lindsley is the host of the ML Sports Platter Podcast available on Apple-Spotify-Google. Subscribe to his YouTube page @mlsportsplatter.
