Jan 13, 2024; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; University of Alabama former head coach Nick Saban attends a press conference to introduce the new head football coach Kalen DeBoer (not pictured) in the North end zone at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Nick Saban joins ESPN as college football analyst

Nick Saban is making a comeback to college football.

ESPN announced Wednesday that Saban is joining its Saturday College GameDay program as an analyst. He’ll also provide NFL draft and SEC Media Days analysis.

“ESPN and College GameDay have played such an important role in the growth of college football, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to join their team,” Saban said in the release. “I’ll do my best to offer additional insights and perspectives to contribute to College GameDay, the ultimate Saturday tradition for college football fans.”

Saban, 72, retired from coaching last month after 17 seasons at Alabama, where he won six of his seven national titles. He finished with a career mark of 297-71-1, 206 of those wins coming at Alabama (with 29 losses). Alabama quickly hired Kalen DeBoer as his replacement.

Saban began his head coaching career at Toledo in 1990. He coached Michigan State from 1995-1999 before accepting the head coaching job at LSU in 2000. He won his first national title in 2003 at LSU.

–Field Level Media

Nov 11, 2023; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide mascot Big Al waves to the crowd during the third quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Newly enrolled Alabama QB Julian Sayin to enter portal

Incoming Crimson Tide quarterback Julian Sayin, a top-ranked 2024 recruit, intends to detour to the transfer portal and leave Alabama before spring practices begin, ESPN reported Friday.

Sayin enrolled at Alabama on Jan. 10, heading to Tuscaloosa with the expectation he would play under head coach Nick Saban, per the report. With the recent retirement of the legendary coach, Sayin will look at other options.

The five-star recruit from Carlsbad, Calif., committed to Alabama on Nov. 22, 2022, and had 25 total offers, including from Ohio State, LSU and Texas.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Sayin is the top offensive player in ESPN’s Class of 2024 rankings. 247Sports lists him as the No. 3 quarterback and the No. 21 overall player.

Sayin finished his three-year career at Carlsbad High School with 7,824 yards, 85 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He was the MVP of the Elite 11 finals before his senior season.

New Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer lost at least nine players to the transfer portal since he arrived from Washington, including standout wide receiver Isaiah Bond and Caleb Downs, an All-American safety as a freshman.

Quarterback Jalen Milroe, the 2023 starter under Saban, is returning to Alabama this fall and said he’s excited to play in DeBoer’s offense. Quarterback Austin Mack, who redshirted at Washington last season, transferred to Alabama on Thursday to play for his former coach.

–Field Level Media

Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer looks on against the Michigan Wolverines late in the fourth quarter in the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Washington’s Kalen DeBoer in talks with Alabama for HC job

Washington’s Kalen DeBoer is negotiating a contract with Alabama to replace the retired Nick Saban as the school’s next head coach, ESPN reported on Friday.

DeBoer guided the Huskies to a 12-0 record during the regular season, a Pac-12 championship and a spot in the CFP national championship game. DeBoer, 49, was voted the Associated Press Coach of the Year last month.

ESPN reported Washington director of athletics Troy Dannen has tried to entice DeBoer to stay with a new contract that would make him one of the 10 highest-paid coaches in FBS.

Before inheriting a Huskies team that finished 4-8 in 2021, DeBoer was 67-3 with three NAIA championships at his alma mater Sioux Falls (2005-09) and 12-6 in two seasons at Fresno State (2020-21).

DeBoer paid immediate dividends since being hired at Washington, guiding the Huskies to an 11-2 record in 2022 and a victory in the Alamo Bowl. He followed up an undefeated regular season in 2023 with a 34-31 victory over Oregon in the Pac-12 title game and a 37-31 win over Texas in a CFP semifinal on New Year’s Day.

Washington dropped a 34-13 decision to No. 1 Michigan in the CFP national championship.

Saban won six of his seven national titles in his 17 years at Alabama, tying the school mark set by Bear Bryant. He finishes with a career mark of 297-71-1, 206 of those wins coming at Alabama (with 29 losses).

He led the Crimson Tide to nine Southeastern Conference championships.

–Field Level Media

Jan 1, 2024; Pasadena, CA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban walks the sideline during the first half against the Michigan Wolverines in the 2024 Rose Bowl college football playoff semifinal game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Nick Saban healthy, mental grind became unsustainable with age

Health issues were not a factor in Nick Saban retiring as head coach at Alabama.

“In hiring coaches and recruiting players, my age started to become an issue. People wanted assurances I’d be here … three years, five years, and it became harder to be honest about it,” Saban said Thursday in an ESPN interview. “And to be honest, this last season was grueling. It was a real grind for us to come from where we stared 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 of, ‘can you do this the way you want to do it?’ Can you do this the way you’ve always done it and be able to do it, and sustain it for the entire season.

“If I couldn’t make a commitment to do that in the future the way I have to do it, I thought maybe this was the right time based on those two sets of circumstances.”

Saban reiterated “There’s no illness. Miss Terry is fine, I’m fine. When I was young, I could work until 2 in the morning and be back at 6. When you get a little older, that gets tougher. I’m sure people can relate to that.”

Saban, 72, won six of his seven national titles in his 17 seasons at Alabama, tying the school mark set by Bear Bryant. He finishes with a career mark of 297-71-1, 206 of those wins coming at Alabama (with 29 losses).

“I don’t think there’s any good time, especially when you’re a coach. When you’re a coach, you think you’re going to coach forever,” Saban told ESPN.

He led the Crimson Tide to nine Southeastern Conference championships.

Saban’s Alabama teams missed the College Football Playoff just twice in 10 years of its existence while winning three national championships.

“Simply put, Nick Saban is one of the greatest coaches of all time, in any sport, and the University of Alabama is fortunate to have had him leading our football program for the past 17 seasons,” Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne said. ” He is the consummate coach, mentor and leader, and his impact is felt far beyond the football field.

Players learned directly from Saban of his decision on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Saban said it was important to him for every player to hear the news from him, and not wonder how much they meant to him because others reported the massive news before a team meeting.

NCAA rules permit players 30 days to enter the transfer portal following the change at head coach.

Byrne told players he hopes to have a good idea of Saban’s replacement with 72 hours.

–Field Level Media

Jan 1, 2024; Pasadena, CA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban looks before the game against the Michigan Wolverines in the 2024 Rose Bowl college football playoff semifinal game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Nick Saban doing his part to make transition easier for Alabama

Nick Saban went back to his office on Thursday, one day after he announced his retirement as Alabama’s head football coach.

While that’s likely a curious move for most, it’s business as usual for the 72-year-old Saban.

“I want to be there for the players, for the coaches, anything I can do to support them during this transition,” Saban told ESPN Thursday.

“There are a lot of things to clean up, to help as we move forward. I’m still going to have a presence here at the university in some form and trying to figure out all that and how it works. This is a place that will never be too far away from (wife) Miss Terry’s and my hearts.”

Saban said he settled on retirement following a trip last weekend.

“The last few days have been hard,” Saban said. “But look, it’s kind of like I told the players. I was going to go in there and ask them to get 100 percent committed to coming back and trying to win a championship, but I’ve always said that I didn’t want to ride the program down, and I felt whether it was recruiting or hiring coaches, now that we have people leaving, the same old issue always sort of came up — how long are you going to do this for?”

Saban won six of his seven national titles in his 17 years at Alabama, tying the school mark set by Bear Bryant. He finishes with a career mark of 297-71-1, 206 of those wins coming at Alabama (with 29 losses).

He led the Crimson Tide to nine Southeastern Conference championships.

–Field Level Media

Dec 31, 2023; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban at the Rose Bowl coaches press conference at the Sheraton Grand  Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Reports: Alabama coach Nick Saban retiring

Alabama head coach and seven-time national champion Nick Saban is retiring, ESPN and The Athletic reported Wednesday.

Saban, 72, won six of those titles in his 17 years at Alabama, tying the school mark set by Bear Bryant. He finishes with a career mark of 297-71-1, 206 of those at Alabama.

He led the Crimson Tide to 11 Southeastern Conference championships.

Saban’s Alabama teams missed the College Football Playoff just twice in 10 years of its existence.

Saban began his head coaching career at Toledo in 1990. He coached Michigan State from 1995-1999 before accepting the head-coaching job at LSU in 2000. He won his first national title in 2003 at LSU.

He took the Alabama job after a short and failed stint as head coach of the Miami Dolphins.

–Field Level Media

Dec 2, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) after the game against the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Alabama QB Jalen Milroe announces return in 2024

Quarterback Jalen Milroe said Thursday he’s returning to Alabama for a final season in 2024.

He made the announcement on “The Next Round,” saying, “Yea, I’m coming back for my senior year.”

Milroe took over as the Crimson Tide starter from Bryce Young, who was selected No. 1 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. He finished sixth in Heisman Trophy balloting.

Before thinking about the 2024 season, Milroe has unfinished business: leading No. 4 Alabama (12-1) against No. 1 Michigan (13-0) in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 in one College Football Playoff semifinal.

This season, Milroe has passed for 2,718 yards and 23 touchdowns with six interceptions. He also has run for 468 yards and 12 scores.

He started 12 games, missing the Week 3 win over South Florida after coach Nick Saban briefly benched him following a loss to Texas in which he threw two interceptions.

Earlier this month, Saban credited Milroe for his in-season improvement.

“Jalen’s done a fantastic job for us,” Saban said. “His transition and improvement as a player has certainly been a huge factor on the success of our team.”

–Field Level Media

Sep 9, 2023; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban cheers on his players before their game against the Texas Longhorns at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Nick Saban: Retirement talk ‘laughable,’ focus is on improvement

Alabama hasn’t won a football national championship since — gasp — 2020, and after back-to-back titles by Georgia, the Crimson Tide aren’t even the top dog now in the Southeastern Conference.

But don’t think that’s going to cause Alabama coach Nick Saban, winner of seven national championships, to start thinking about retirement as he turns 72 next month.

Appearing on ESPN’s “Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday, Saban said the R word isn’t on his mind.

“It’s kind of laughable but, you know, I guess I would ask you,” he said to McAfee, “when’s the first time you heard that I was going to retire? That started about five years ago, and I think it creates some advantages for people, maybe whether it’s in recruiting or whatever it might be. But I love what I’m doing. I’m focused on the challenge.

“I’ve always said I don’t wanna ride the program down, I don’t wanna do this if I can’t do it anymore, but I feel great right now. I love it. We’ve got lots of challenges this season. I’m looking forward to it and we’re all in.”

One of those challenges for No. 10 Alabama is regrouping after a 34-24 loss to Texas, which rose to No. 4 after Saturday’s win. The Longhorns trailed 16-13 entering the fourth quarter and outscored the Crimson Tide 21-8 to win.

He said his message to his team was clear: learn from it.

“Adversity, you know, can break some people. Adversity can make some people great. It just depends on how you deal with it, and I think we don’t want our players to waste a failing,” Saban said. “We want them to learn from the experience that they had so they have an opportunity to improve and get better.”

Saban will be looking for Alabama (1-1) to do just that when it takes on South Florida on Saturday in Tampa.

“It’s a privilege to play here,” he said. “It’s a privilege to be a coach here, and I think there’s an expectation that goes with all that, but … everybody should embrace it and be committed to doing the things they need to do to improve and get better.”

Saban, who took over as Alabama’s head coach in 2007, is 195-28 with the Crimson Tide. Overall, he has a 286-170-1 mark when his stops at Toledo, Michigan State and LSU are added.

–Field Level Media

Notre Dame's Michael Mayer and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees prior to Notre Dame Fall Practice on Friday, August 12, 2022, at Irish Athletics Center in South Bend, Indiana.

Ncaa Foorball 2022 Notre Dame Fall Practice

Reports: Alabama hires Tommy Rees as OC

Alabama is hiring Tommy Rees as its offensive coordinator, multiple outlets reported Friday.

Rees, most recently the offensive coordinator at Notre Dame, will replace Bill O’Brien on coach Nick Saban’s staff. O’Brien left to become offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots.

Saban turned his attention to Rees after reportedly being told by Ryan Grubb, the offensive coordinator of Washington, and Akron head coach Joe Moorhead that they weren’t interested.

Rees, 30, turned down an opportunity to join former Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly at LSU when he left for Baton Rouge in late 2021. Rees remained OC on Marcus Freeman’s first-year staff in 2022.

Rees had preliminary discussions with Saban before boarding an Alabama Crimson Tide private plane on Thursday in South Bend, Ind., according to The Athletic.

The Irish ranked No. 60 in all of FBS in total offense in 2022 with 396.2 yards per game.

A former Notre Dame quarterback, Rees threw for 7,670 yards and 61 touchdowns against 37 interceptions in 47 games from 2010-13. Rees joined Notre Dame’s staff as quarterbacks coach in 2017 before being elevated to offensive coordinator in 2020.

–Field Level Media

July 19, 2022; Atlanta,GA, USA; Alabama head coach Nick Saban signs autographs for fans during SEC Media Days at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta Tuesday, July 19, 2022. Gary Cosby Jr.-The Tuscaloosa News

Alabama At Sec Media Days

Alabama trustees OK 8-year, $93.6M extension for Nick Saban

Nick Saban will remain as Alabama’s football coach on an eight-year deal worth $93.6 million after university trustees approved the contract extension Tuesday.

With the contract, the 70-year-old Saban again will become college football’s highest-paid coach. His contract will pay an average yearly salary of $11.7 million, surpassing the $11.25 million annual average value of the 10-year contract Kirby Smart signed with Georgia in July.

Saban now is under contract through February 2030, when he will be 78.

In the 2022 season, Saban will earn $10.7 million. His salary will rise incrementally to $12.7 million in the 2029 season, The Athletic reported.

Saban is entering his 16th season as head coach of the Crimson Tide. Since his hiring before the 2007 campaign, Alabama has a 183-25 record with six national championships and three losing appearances in the title game.

The Crimson Tide have appeared in six of the past seven NCAA College Football Playoff championship games, winning three and losing three. They were voted this week as the nation’s preseason No. 1. team.

Trustees also approved a three-year contract extension for athletic director Greg Byrne through 2029. The Athletic reported he will receive a 5 percent raise.

–Field Level Media