Why did Nick Saban retire? ‘Age started to become an issue’: Inside his final hours at Alabama

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Nick Saban, famous for his process, stuck to his routine Wednesday.

He joined a scheduled SEC coaches video call. He conducted several interviews for an opening on the coaching staff. One in particular, according to a person briefed on the interview, concluded just 15 minutes before the interviewed coach started seeing notifications of news that forever altered college football: The Alabama legend was retiring.

During the SEC call, Saban remained engaged.

“He was Nick Saban,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said. “I was not able to be on it but followed up with our staff. He was an active participant. There’s a lot going on in college football now, a lot of good and some of it that makes people a bit unhappy. But there were no tells.”

A team meeting at Alabama was scheduled for Tuesday, but inclement weather forced the meeting to Wednesday afternoon. Tuesday’s storm led to a clear, sunny Wednesday.

The meeting started at around 4 p.m. CT, in which Saban cited his age, 72, and nonspecific health reasons for his decision, according to a team source briefed on the meeting, after 17 years at Alabama, 50 years in coaching and seven national titles. Shortly after, Saban’s decision reverberated around Tuscaloosa. On Thursday, in a sitdown with ESPN’s Rece Davis, Saban expounded on those concerns.

“In hiring coaches and recruiting players, my age started to become an issue,” Saban said. “People wanted assurances I’d be here, three years, five years, and it became harder to be honest about it. And to be honest, this last season was grueling. It was a real grind for us to come from where we started to where we got to. It took a little more out of me than usual. When people mentioned the health issue, it was really just the grind.”

Nick Saban’s final win as Alabama’s coach came against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. (Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)

Waves of people were drawn to the outside of Bryant-Denny Stadium at the Walk of Champions, where all five national championship-winning coaches have a statue. The area around Saban’s statue resembled a memorial, the figure surrounded by flowers, oatmeal cream pies, bottles of Coca-Cola and a crown attached to a string hanging from the statue’s hand. The crowd broke into song, including renditions of “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Amazing Grace.”

There were other passionate cries, centered around potential replacements. Fans have their preferences, and many took turns in front of the Saban statue speaking their minds to the large crowd. One fan in particular stated, “I’m excited to see who our next coach is, but I just have one thing to say: Anyone but Dabo! Say it with me!” They were referring, of course, to Clemson coach and Alabama alum Dabo Swinney. Soon, the crowd followed behind the chant.

Eventually, official statements arrived from Alabama. Saban said: “The University of Alabama has been a very special place to (his wife Terry Saban) and me. It is not just about how many games we won and lost, but it’s about the legacy and how we went about it. The goal was always to help players create more value for their future, be the best player they could be and be more successful in life because they were part of the program. Hopefully, we have done that, and we will always consider Alabama our home.”

Athletic director Greg Byrne released a statement through his X account, formerly Twitter, which led with, “Simply put, Nick Saban is one of the greatest coaches of all time.” Byrne added that the coaching search would be “thorough but expedient.”

The sun rose Thursday, and the headline in the Tuscaloosa News included two simple yet powerful words, a sentence Alabama fans may not have been prepared to read: “SABAN RETIRING.” Fans still wandered outside of Bryant-Denny to take pictures and express their emotions. One fan asked, “What are we going to do next year?”

Saban himself was at the Mal Moore football facility just before 7:30 a.m. — likely to help answer that very question. On Thursday afternoon, in an interview with ESPN’s Chris Low, Saban said he plans to remain a presence around the university in some capacity. For now, it’s assisting in the transition.

The actual retirement announcement wasn’t as jarring to some as the suddenness of the move. There has been speculation about 2023 being Saban’s last season, and it only intensified as the season’s end drew closer. But there wasn’t a choreographed statement prepared at the time of the news drop or a scheduled news conference. Very few people, including high-ranking Alabama brass, were in the know about how Wednesday ultimately would play out.

In many ways, the signs were there throughout the 2023 season. It was a year that many have called Saban’s best coaching job, one during which he operated in almost a never-before-seen fashion. Senior defensive back Malachi Moore described Saban as more open during the leadup to the Rose Bowl and said this season was the most he had heard Saban joke with the team. One example was Saban having mouse traps placed throughout the locker room and facility to warn players against a “trap game” against Kentucky — part humor, part motivation. But it was effective: Alabama defeated Kentucky 49-21, clinching the SEC West title.

Saban seemed more reflective and appreciative. Following Alabama’s emotional win against Tennessee, Saban shared a humorous moment on TV, putting a cigar in his mouth even though it’s known he’s not a smoker. He then took several minutes to jog to each part of the field to thank the fans personally for their support in the game.

"Well, I'll chew on one for a while." – Nick Saban to @JennyDell_ on the victory cigar

And then you MUST un-mute to hear Jalen Milroe's laugh 🤣 pic.twitter.com/mldquoiw4K

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 21, 2023

At the SEC Championship Game, Saban and his former protege Kirby Smart shared a moment at midfield before kickoff. Saban approached Smart and said, “One thing you were right about, I’m too old for this.” He went on to express to Smart how proud he was of what Smart has built at Georgia, while Smart responded with similar compliments of what Saban did with the 2023 team and thanked him for everything he had done for Smart in his career. Before they went to their respective sidelines, Smart told Saban, “Try to enjoy it, man. You’re a hell of a coach.”

"You're a hell of a coach."

Kirby Smart to Nick Saban before the 2023 SEC Championship 🥹❤️ pic.twitter.com/sgnWkfDfq5

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) January 10, 2024

Alabama defeating No. 1 Georgia for the SEC championship marked the pinnacle of the Tide’s 2023 season. It didn’t end with a national championship, and in some ways, it may be surprising that Saban’s not going out “on top.” But shortly after Alabama’s Rose Bowl loss to Michigan, Saban showed one final expression of gratitude for the 2023 team and what it meant to him. It was his last and one of his most memorable teams.

“One thing that I told them in the locker room after the game, this is one of the most amazing seasons in Alabama football history,” Saban said. “In terms of where this team came from, what they were able to accomplish and what they were able to do. I think for me as a coach, maybe not for everybody else, it’s one of the teams that I’ll always remember the most and always be the most proud of.”

In the moment, these occurrences felt like a more classic lure to add to Saban’s aura. In hindsight, they were breadcrumbs leading to his retirement. And yet, he still went back and forth until the final minutes before the team meeting before making a final decision.

“We had a meeting at 4 o’clock,” Saban said in his interview with Davis. “It was 3:55, and I’m sitting in my chair saying, ‘You have five minutes to decide which speech you’re going to give.”

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Things are moving quickly in Tuscaloosa. The current players have 30 days to enter into the transfer portal as a result of Saban’s announcement. Per a team source, Byrne told the players to give him 72 hours before making a decision, indicating the coaching search is going to move quickly. Existing players have another window to enter in the spring (beginning April 16), but locking in as much of the roster before spring practice is of the utmost importance. Oregon coach Dan Lanning announced Thursday afternoon that he is staying with the Ducks amid speculation he would be a top candidate.

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Even though Alabama is a powerhouse with top available resources, the next coach will be in the near-impossible spot of following Saban. Those who were close to him and helped pave the trail of success at Alabama have spent the past day expressing their appreciation.

“Coach Saban is the GOAT!!,” said former player Mark Ingram II, Alabama’s first Heisman Trophy winner in 2009 via his X account. “Thanks for believing in a young man from Flint, Michigan. Helped me become a champion on the field, but more importantly a champion in LIFE. Enjoy retirement Coach, you earned that!! Love you Coach Saban, ROLL TIDE!!.”

The effects of Saban’s retirement are radiating from rival fan bases as well. At Auburn, fans took to the famous Toomer’s Corner and rolled the trees with toilet paper, a tradition after a big win. Some Auburn fans made their way to Bryant-Denny Stadium, to personally take in the scene and take pictures of the memorial setting. In one fan’s words: “Fans of Auburn, Georgia, the entire SEC are happy today, but whether you loved Saban or hated him, you respect the way he was able to win.”

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That is Saban’s lasting legacy to most, the clip he won at for so many years, but it stretches beyond that for coaches still involved in college and coached alongside him.

“The impact he has had on college football is a lasting one,” former Alabama assistant and current North Texas associate head coach/special teams coordinator Drew Svoboda said. “He set the standard on what it means to be elite, starting with the importance of recruiting and evaluation, coaching and support staff structure, and always being able to adapt to the changing landscape of college football.”

“Working under his leadership was a daily reminder of how important communication and attention to detail is. He left no stone unturned in the process of building a championship program.”

Alabama is set to turn the page, but how exactly that looks is still to be determined. Fittingly, the transition, like the retirement announcement, will mirror Saban’s desired process at Alabama — as closed off as possible but with his fingerprints over it.

— Seth Emerson, Bruce Feldman, Sam Khan Jr., David Ubben and Chris Vannini contributed to the reporting in this story.

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(Photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)