Saban Shares Thought Process on Eventual Retirement Decision
The Crimson Tide football coach outlined what it would take for him to leave the sidelines at Alabama.
Alabama football coach Nick Saban does not have plans to retire from college football any time soon.
Saban, who will turn 72 in October, knows that he will not be the Crimson Tide’s football coach forever. However, while he is still making a “positive contribution” to the program, he plans to continue doing what he loves in keeping the program as the standard of college football.
“I love trying to build a team with a group of people,” Saban told ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith on his Know Mercy podcast. “I enjoy doing that. … I am also very aware that I don’t want to ever ride the program down. In other words, there’s going to come a time when my age and my circumstance—everybody is going to be able to tell somebody, ‘Well, he’s not going to be there. I mean, how long is he going to coach, until he’s 90?’ That will start to affect the program maybe in an adverse way. I don’t want to get there.”
The Crimson Tide recorded an 11–2 mark in 2022. The team failed to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff and watched Georgia win a second consecutive national championship. Even more, some—including former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy—believe Saban is under pressure heading into the ’23 campaign.
Regardless of whether Saban is feeling some heat or not, the seven-time champion is not ready to walk away from the challenge in Tuscaloosa.
“… I can still do the work at a quality level that is making a contribution to the success of the organization,” Saban said. “So, I’m not there yet.”