Alabama head coach Nick Saban is retiring from the sport of college football, according to a report from ESPN’s Chris Low on Wednesday afternoon.
Saban’s reported retirement comes just about 10 days after the Crimson Tide’s College Football Playoff semi-final loss to No. 1 Michigan in overtime. Alabama was the talk of the football world as the Tide jumped undefeated Florida State to make the last spot in the playoffs.
Action Network’s Brett McMurphy is reporting that Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is the expected top target for the Alabama job.
It seems plausible that former Alabama assistants Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian could also be in the running based on their experience with Tuscaloosa and success at Ole Miss and Texas, respectively.
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Saban’s run with Alabama lasted 17 years with the Tide and racked up six National Championships, completing one of the most dominant runs in the history of sports.
Saban has a 206-29 record in his 235 games coached at Alabama. Saban began his coaching career at Toledo (1990) before coaching Michigan State for five seasons (1995-1999) and LSU for five seasons (2000-2004). While he eventually began coaching at Alabama in 2007, Saban spent the years between LSU and Alabama with the Miami Dolphins.
Alabama’s reign over Tennessee in the Saban era is a well-documented one. While Tennessee took down the Tide in 2006, Saban’s arrival in 2007 marked a change in the rivalry that is named The Third Saturday in October. Alabama went on to beat Tennessee every year under Saban until Josh Heupel, Jalin Hyatt, and Chase McGrath put an end to that streak during the 2022 season with a walk-off field goal victory.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban is going to send massive waves through the entire college football landscape as the media and fans alike hold their breath to wait and see who will take over for the longtime head coach.
Could it be former Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin? Maybe former Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian? The next 72 hours will be incredibly interesting as the sports world waits and watches.
The Nick Saban-less Alabama Crimson Tide will travel to Knoxville to take on Tennessee during the 2024 college football season on Saturday, October 19.
This story will be updated as more information continues to be released.
