Nick Saban announced his decision to retire at the age of 72 soon after losing the national championship game against Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan in a 27-20 showdown.
The ex-Alabama head coach, who won six national championships, with the program credited his decision to the fast-paced change that college football is going through because of NIL and the transfer portal.
Saban was and continues to be one of the most important voices in the world of college football, and his decision to retire did make an impact in the sport.
During Tuesday’s episode of “Bussin’ With The Boys,” Josh Pate shared his thoughts on Alabama’s death grip. He said:
“Ever since NIL took over, you see a massive jump in the Big 10 and national championships. Is that proof that the SEC was paying their players before NIL?
No. The proof of the SEC paying players is that the SEC was paying their players. Like it didn’t need to be people look at this as like a onetrack sort of scenario. Like yeah, NIL came along. Here’s what else happened. Nick Saban retired from Alabama.” (0:01)
“Like Saban retiring in any era was going to fundamentally impact the death grip that the SEC had on college football because it wasn’t the SEC that had a death grip. It was Alabama that had a death grip on college football led by Nick Saban,” he added.
Pate further highlighted how 10 of the last 11 SEC titles were won by either Alabama or Georgia barring a solitary occasion when LSU won with Joe Burrow.
Nick Saban Shows Confidence in Kalen DeBoer’s Preparedness at Alabama in Year 2
Filling in Nick Saban’s shoes is no easy task. Despite a disappointing 9-4 overall record in his first year at Alabama, Kalen DeBoer is now heading into the second season with more weapons in hand.
Many analysts like Paul Finebaum have made the expectation clear for DeBoer, which is that he has to take Alabama to a playoff spot in order to stay away from the hot seat.
Talking about his preparedness for the upcoming 2025 season, during his appearance at the Nick Saban legacy awards ceremony, Saban said that he believes DeBoer is doing a great job and that the team is much more grounded in terms of what Coach DeBoer really wants.
Saban emphasized the fact that DeBoer has the “right staff” which will help the fans see some big improvement this year.
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in football, basketball, and more!
