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Seven-time national champion head football coach Nick Saban has reportedly informed the Alabama Crimson Tide of his decision to retire, ESPN's Chris Low reported on Wednesday (January 10).
"Nick Saban is retiring, sources tell ESPN. He won six national titles at Alabama," Low wrote on his X account.
Saban is just one week removed from guiding the Crimson Tide to a record eighth College Football Playoff appearance, having lost his final game to the eventual national champion Michigan Wolverines, 27-20, in the Rose Bowl College Football Semifinal in Pasadena, California. The 72-year-old had previously downplayed retirement speculation during his weekly appearance on 'the Pat McAfee Show' last Thursday (December 4), three days after his team's loss.
“Look, I ask everybody who asks me that question, ‘Are you going to be here for four years?” he said. “Some players ask me when I’m going to retire. I look at them and say, ‘Can you guarantee me that you’re going to be here for four years? They look at me like, ‘Hell, no.’ ...
“I just think it’s the way of the world now.”
Saban, who also coached the NFL's Miami Dolphins for two seasons prior to being hired by the Crimson Tide in 2007, won six national championships and nine SEC championships during his 17 seasons at Alabama, having previously led SEC West rival LSU to a BCS national championship in 2003 and two SEC titles in 2001 and 2003. The West Virginia native concludes his collegiate coaching career with a 292-71-1 overall record, which includes one season at Toledo, five seasons at Michigan State and five seasons at LSU.