1 year, 2 months ago

Where does Nick Saban rank on all-time list of coaches? Who’s next at Alabama? Our experts react

Well, it finally happened. The one, to me, that best exhibits Saban’s artistry was in 2015 when he brought in a one-loss Alabama team against unbeaten Georgia, which was feeling good about its chances and doing things “the Georgia way.” And Alabama ran all over Georgia, showing the power brokers in Athens how far their program still had to go. Emerson: If we’re defining “current level” this way, one might point out that Alabama hasn’t won a national championship in three years, and, in fact, has lost two games each of those years. But we also know Alabama was an overtime away from making this year’s national championship game, which it probably would’ve won, so yes it’s still an elite program. You won’t have a hard time recruiting five-star kids to Alabama for the next few years unless the coach hired to follow Saban fails spectacularly.

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History of this topic

2 months ago

Nick Saban reveals why he would not consider return to coaching college football

Daily Mail

Nick Saban has revealed that the NCAA's NIL policy has turned him off from a potential return to college football, as he said the 'dynamic' of college sports has changed. And Saban, who retired as Alabama's head coach early last year, would prefer an NFL job if he were to return to the sidelines. Nick Saban became a college football …

2 months, 1 week ago

Urban Meyer joins Nick Saban in College Football HOF’s Class of 2025; Vick, Strahan also elected

Associated Press

Urban Meyer will join Nick Saban in the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame class, and Michael Vick and Michael Strahan are among the former players who will be inducted. The National Football Foundation announced Saban’s selection last week and the rest of the 18-player, four-coach class on Wednesday. Saban retired last year as the NCAA’s active leader in wins …

2 months, 2 weeks ago

For the College Football Playoff’s final four coaches, more than a title is on the line

New York Times

The four head coaches remaining in this year’s College Football Playoff have a lot to gain by winning it all. But only two active head coaches have won a national title at the Football Bowl Subdivision level: Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, who each have two. Jeff Hafley left a head coaching job at Boston College to become …

2 months, 3 weeks ago

Penn State coach James Franklin says Nick Saban should be college football’s commissioner

Associated Press

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Penn State coach James Franklin believes college football needs a commissioner and he even has a candidate in mind: former Alabama coach Nick Saban. Franklin — who joked that Saban wouldn’t be thrilled with his comment — made the suggestion on Sunday at Penn State’s College Football Playoff quarterfinals media day ahead of the Fiesta Bowl. Pribula’s …

4 months, 3 weeks ago

Alabama football schedule: The Tide plays Missouri after two losses. What happened to Nick Saban’s juggernaut?

Slate

When Nick Saban retired from coaching Alabama in January, the university lost not just a football coach but a one-of-a-kind business asset. The Tide lost at Tennessee last Saturday to fall to a humiliating 5–2 in its first seven games, a level of ignominy unknown to the program since 2007, during Saban’s first year. Instead, in its two losses to …

8 months ago

BC’s O’Brien, Duke’s Diaz make quick push to connect with players after taking new jobs

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! “It’s definitely important,” Boston College offensive lineman Drew Kendall said Wednesday during the league’s preseason football media days. He didn’t linger long in the frustration over losing that job despite posting a 16-9 league record in his tenure, spending two seasons as defensive coordinator and linebackers …

8 months, 1 week ago

Nick Saban is back at SEC Media Days, 6 months after retiring and asking the questions now

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! “We’ve been fortunate to have some really good quarterback rooms, and I think the Manning family is pretty well aware of that,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Wednesday. “He’s really fun to have in the room.” Texas junior left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. has started all …

8 months, 1 week ago

Alabama football fan survey results: How has transition from Nick Saban to Kalen DeBoer gone?

New York Times

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — What a difference a year makes. Selection Percentage Very pleased 84.1 Somewhat pleased 11.4 Neutral/Not enough information 3.8 Displeased/Very displeased 0.7 It’s one of the biggest questions in college football : What will Alabama look like in the post-Saban era? Selection Percentage National championship 11.2 National Championship Game appearance 12.9 College Football Playoff semifinal/quarterfinal game appearance 57.6 …

1 year ago

Ranking the Top 25 college football coaches: Norvell, Kiffin rising in Bruce Feldman’s list

New York Times

For years, it was essentially a given that the No. And with Jim Harbaugh leaving for the NFL after winning the national title, another head coach who would’ve been in my top three is off the list. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama He’s coming off two remarkable seasons at Washington, which went 4-8 the year before his arrival and made it to …

1 year ago

Former Alabama football players thank retired coach Nick Saban for helping them reach NFL combine

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! INDIANAPOLIS — Some Alabama players saw the signs of Nick Saban’s impending departure from college football long before his January retirement announcement. Still, the Crimson Tide players attending this week’s NFL annual scouting combine shared one sentiment: Without Saban’s mentorship, they might not be here — …

1 year, 1 month ago

Nick Saban Alabama Senate run poll: Democrats should recruit the former coach to beat Tommy Tuberville.

Slate

Nick Saban has no apparent reason to run for political office and several reasons not to. Over two weeks in late January, pollsters from the market research firm YouGov surveyed 532 registered voters in Alabama and found Saban narrowly leading Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, himself a former college football coach at Auburn, in a hypothetical matchup for Senate in 2026. …

1 year, 1 month ago

Nick Saban joining ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ road show

Associated Press

Nick Saban is joining ESPN’s “College GameDay,” the long-running Saturday pregame road show he appeared on as a guest so frequently during his 17 seasons as Alabama coach. “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 a statement. …

1 year, 2 months ago

The rise, fall and rise again of Jim Harbaugh shows how quickly college coaches go from hot to not

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! When Jim Harbaugh took a pay cut from Michigan after the 2020 season, getting another chance to be an NFL head coach seemed like a long shot for him. “Jim Harbaugh didn’t forget how to coach a couple years ago and then say, ‘Oh, I remember …

1 year, 2 months ago

Scenes of Nick Saban: A road trip through the career of college football’s top coach

New York Times

By Justin Williams, Bruce Feldman, Brody Miller, Manny Navarro, Mitch Sherman and Chris Vannini Nick Saban, widely regarded as the greatest college football coach of all time, announced his retirement last week. Saban later wrote about the last piece of advice his father gave him: “The expectation, no matter what you choose to do, must always be to do your …

1 year, 2 months ago

DeBoer embraces chance to replace Saban at Alabama, promises ex-coach ‘100 percent access’

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! The former Washington coach, hired two days after Saban’s retirement, said he’s giving the 72-year-old ex-coach “100 percent access” to his program — saying he’d “be a fool not to” — and that Saban firmly wants the Crimson Tide’s success to continue. But it wasn’t easy.” …

1 year, 2 months ago

Former Alabama assistant Travaris Robinson named Georgia’s co-defensive coordinator

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! ATHENS, Ga. — Former Alabama cornerbacks coach Travaris Robinson has been named Georgia’s co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach. Robinson’s hiring came three days after Alabama coach Nick Saban announced his retirement. Robinson was South Carolina’s defensive coordinator from 2016-2020 before working for one year as Miami’s …

1 year, 2 months ago

Alabama is close to hiring Kalen DeBoer from Washington to replace Nick Saban, AP source says

Hindustan Times

Alabama is negotiating with Washington coach Kalen DeBoer and is close to hiring him as the replacement for Nick Saban, a person with direct knowledge of the talks said Friday. DeBoer would replace Saban, who announced his retirement Wednesday after leading the Crimson Tide to six national championships in 17 seasons. DeBoer led his alma mater Sioux Falls to a …

1 year, 2 months ago

Mueller: Being Nick Saban’s GM was far from easy, but he made me (and everyone) better

New York Times

I had 20 years in the NFL in my back pocket when Nick Saban called me on a late May afternoon in 2005. I remember hearing stories about how hard Nick — who announced his retirement Wednesday after 17 years and six national championships at Alabama — was to work for. GO DEEPER Mandel: Alabama’s Nick Saban, college football’s greatest …

1 year, 2 months ago

Alabama hires Washington’s Kalen DeBoer to replace Nick Saban as coach

New York Times

By Christopher Kamrani, Bruce Feldman, Kennington Smith III and Chris Vannini The man chosen to succeed the greatest college football coach in the history of the sport is from rural South Dakota, who certainly some Crimson Tide fanatics have never heard of. Kalen DeBoer, known within the industry as both a program builder and excavator, told his staff at Washington …

1 year, 2 months ago

Saban, Belichick and Carroll out in less than 24 hours? Football will never be the same

New York Times

To add quickly to the mountain of stories this week from sports media who have crossed paths with Nick Saban, there can’t be many better training grounds for a college reporter than stammering football questions at his news conferences and bracing for one of two outcomes: mumbling coachspeak or straight ridicule, both served with a glacial glare. “It is amazing …

1 year, 2 months ago

Kalen DeBoer is Alabama’s ideal Nick Saban replacement, but can anything be good enough?

New York Times

Alabama could not have landed a more impressive coach to succeed the retiring Nick Saban than Washington’s Kalen DeBoer, who sports a career 104-12 record dating to his days at NAIA Sioux Falls, and who comes fresh off of leading the Huskies to a 21-game winning streak and a national championship game appearance. In a vacuum, leaving a program like …

1 year, 2 months ago

Nick Saban is latest championship-winning coach to exit amid drastic changes to college sports

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! We want to continue to focus on development of players.” Saban retired Wednesday after 17 seasons and six national title with the Crimson Tide, joining Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, North Carolina’s Roy Williams, Notre Dame’s Muffet McGraw and Villanova’s Jay Wright among championship-winning college coaches in high-profile …

1 year, 2 months ago

Replacing Nick Saban: Alabama begins hunt for a successor who will face sky-high expectations

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! “The secret sauce for Nick Saban was total control of the program, but he could get that,” ESPN’s Paul Finebaum said Thursday. So the new coach is already challenged, without even knowing who it is, because he won’t have the gravitas that Nick Saban has.” Saban …

1 year, 2 months ago

Column: Saban doesn’t go out on top, but he does leave as the greatest of them all

Associated Press

Nick Saban didn’t go out on top, which is about the only notable blemish on a college coaching resume that eclipsed all others. What turned out to be Saban’s final season — he called it quits Wednesday as Alabama’s coach, on his terms, at age 72 — will go down as perhaps the best coaching job of his career. If …

1 year, 2 months ago

Nick Saban’s Alabama dynasty fueled 20 years of Southeastern Conference college football dominance

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! PHOENIX — While turning Alabama into college football’s greatest dynasty, Nick Saban helped the Southeastern Conference become the epicenter of the sport. “We’ve always had people that set the standard of excellence,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, who was in Phoenix attending the NCAA convention when …

1 year, 2 months ago

Sports world reacts to Nick Saban announcing he’s retiring as coach of Alabama

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Thanks for helping so many young men reach their goals and dreams #RMFT.” — Dont’a Hightower, former player, consensus All-American at Alabama and two-time national champion ___ “He was on the call and was as adamant about the game of college football as ever. So, ‘Poker …

1 year, 2 months ago

An ode to Nick Saban, the godfather of college football recruiting

New York Times

Nick Saban didn’t realize he was being recorded. They’ve got all these good players and you aren’t going to be able to play while you could play at our place earlier,’” Saban said. All those guys will tell you, ‘That made me better … the guy I practiced against was better than the guy I played in the game against.’” …

1 year, 2 months ago

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

New York Times

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Nick Saban, famous for his process, stuck to his routine Wednesday. 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. Hopefully, we have done that, and we will always consider Alabama our home.” Athletic director Greg Byrne released a …

1 year, 2 months ago

How did Auburn fans take Nick Saban’s retirement? Relief, disbelief and respect

New York Times

It didn’t take long. “I don’t think it captures the reaction of the Auburn population, unanimously, I really don’t,” Johnston said. “From an Auburn perspective, it’s probably just more relief,” said Cole Cubelic, an SEC Network analyst who played offensive line at Auburn from 1997 through 2001. “I’m one of those Auburn guys that respect Nick Saban as a football …

1 year, 2 months ago

Alabama’s Nick Saban retires after 7 national titles, most in major college football history

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Colorado’s Deion Sanders, a coach who has sought to capitalize on the intervention of players profiting financially from their play on the field, said on social media “College Football just lost the GOAT.” “WOW! College football let’s hold up our mirrors and say HONESTLY what u …

1 year, 2 months ago

Alabama coach Nick Saban retiring after winning 7 national titles, according to multiple reports

The Independent

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Nick Saban, the stern coach …

1 year, 2 months ago

Alabama coach Nick Saban retiring after winning 7 national titles

LA Times

Nick Saban, the stern coach who won seven national championships and turned Alabama back into a national powerhouse that included six of those titles in just 17 seasons, is retiring, according to multiple reports. Saban led the Crimson Tide from a shaky start this season to a Southeastern Conference championship and back into the College Football Playoff before falling to …

1 year, 2 months ago

Updated college football 2024 top 25 rankings: Georgia back on top, Washington slides

LA Times

Nick Saban, the greatest college football coach of all time, has retired from Alabama, where he won six of his seven national championships. I knew there was a reason we waited a bit longer this year to release my 2024 “way-too-early top 25.” With Saban’s exit, nothing will ever be the same in this sport — much less this projection …

1 year, 2 months ago

Mandel: Alabama’s Nick Saban, college football’s greatest coach, is going out on his own terms

New York Times

The thing we’ve been speculating might happen pretty much every year for roughly the last 10 years finally happened Wednesday — and it was still stunning. 1 team in the country in the SEC Championship Game, but falling a win short of the national title game was considered a “down” season for Alabama. To successfully build a national championship contender, …

1 year, 2 months ago

Nick Saban retiring as Alabama coach, ending ‘a truly remarkable’ career with 7 national titles

New York Times

Nick Saban, who is widely considered the greatest college football coach because of his run guiding storied programs against the fiercest possible competition, is retiring after a 17-year stint at Alabama in which he delivered six national championships, he announced Wednesday night. “Hopefully, we have done that, and we will always consider Alabama our home.” His final championship in 2020 …

1 year, 2 months ago

Who could replace Nick Saban at Alabama? Steve Sarkisian, Mike Norvell and other candidates

New York Times

Alabama’s Nick Saban is retiring. Texas’ Steve Sarkisian resurrected his career in Tuscaloosa after off-field issues ended his brief tenure at USC. This season, Sarkisian’s Longhorns went 12-2, beat Bama in Tuscaloosa and made the College Football Playoff. That’s a great compliment to Sark.” I’m told Sarkisian impressed the Tide brass in his time at Alabama. Right, wrong or indifferent, …

1 year, 2 months ago

Alabama football coaching job pluses, minuses and candidates after Nick Saban

New York Times

The job occupied by the greatest coach in college football history is open. The brand is still the brand The Crimson Tide’s national championship and NFL Draft pick totals dwarf everyone else in college football over the last 15 years. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian spent two stints at Alabama, including one as offensive coordinator from 2020 to ’21, before …

1 year, 5 months ago

No. 11 Alabama hosts No. 17 Tennessee to top SEC slate. Vols have lost 9 in a row at Crimson Tide

Associated Press

Things to watch in Week of the Southeastern Conference: GAME OF THE WEEK No. Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart is second in the SEC and seventh nationally with 323.3 yards of total offense per game while receiver Zakhari Franklin is the FBS active career leader with 37 receiving TDs. INSIDE THE NUMBERS Auburn is among only 13 FBS teams that …

1 year, 5 months ago

Jalen Milroe, Jermaine Burton lead No. 11 Alabama past Texas A&M 26-20 to take control of SEC West

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! “We weren’t at our best in the first half today, but for our guys to pull themselves to overcome adversity and resiliency, this is a great win for our team.” Max Johnson, who took over as the starting quarterback after an injury to Conner Weigman two …

1 year, 7 months ago

College Football Coaching Tiers 2023: Smart, Swinney chasing Saban. What about the rest?

New York Times

There is no job in the world like that of a college football coach. But I think it’s Nick at 1, Kirby 1-A and Dabo 1-B.” Tier 2 Coach School Ryan Day Ohio State Luke Fickell Wisconsin Jimbo Fisher Texas A&M Jim Harbaugh Michigan Brian Kelly LSU Lincoln Riley USC Kyle Whittingham Utah Vannini: This is the group of elite …

2 years ago

Mandel’s top 25 college football head coaches: Has Kirby Smart caught Nick Saban?

New York Times

Nick Saban is unquestionably the Greatest Coach of All Time, but my annual top-25 “snapshot” college football coach rankings weigh recent performance more heavily than career achievements. Nick Saban, Alabama : The 2022 season was not Saban’s finest effort as the Bryce Young-led Tide underachieved — and yet they still went 11-2 and finished fifth in the country. Luke Fickell, …

2 years, 1 month ago

Alabama, Nick Saban sign No. 1 recruiting class for 10th time in last 13 years

New York Times

With all but one of the nation’s top-100 players signed to a letter of intent, it’s safe to hand Alabama the recruiting crown for the 2023 cycle. The Crimson Tide signed a record nine five-star prospects, topping the previous high of eight in a class set by Texas A&M last cycle. 1 class Alabama fans need to know this and …

2 years, 2 months ago

College basketball expert roundtable: Which coach will be next to be fired or retire?

New York Times

— The Athletic’s Eamonn Brennan, Seth Davis, Brian Hamilton, Brendan Marks and Justin Williams contributed to this story. With men’s college basketball seven weeks from the start of the NCAA Tournament, The Athletic is taking stock of the 2022-23 season and predicting what’s to come. The only thing of note Georgetown has managed this season — despite Ewing firing his …

2 years, 3 months ago

Suttles: Alabama recruiting class is one of Nick Saban’s most impressive feats

New York Times

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — What Nick Saban accomplished Wednesday, the culmination of more than a year’s work, won’t be fully appreciated because it’s become the norm. He didn’t do it alone, but there was a single-mindedness, a determination that made the top-ranked class the Crimson Tide signed Wednesday particularly impressive. Fans of other programs won’t be able to get it because …

2 years, 3 months ago

Alabama football recruiting thoughts: Will Nick Saban close another No. 1 class?

New York Times

Monday was a prime example of just how hectic roster management can be this time of year. pic.twitter.com/mufyBrJXMu — Jed May December 3, 2022 That’s him standing next to Alabama running backs coach Robert Gillespie and Georgia running backs coach Dell McGee. It can’t hurt Alabama’s case that it’s produced the most dominant edge rusher in the country the past …

2 years, 10 months ago

Fortuna: Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher have some company in a long history of mentor-mentee coaching beefs

New York Times

The legendary disciplinarian couldn’t get over his prized protege finally beating him, and nothing was ever the same between the two after that. In-between, multiple run-ins — which were widely discussed and revisited this spring as Krzyzewski made his farewell —began to tear apart their relationship, the earliest coming on the night Krzyzewski’s Duke team beat Knight’s Indiana squad in …

2 years, 11 months ago

Saban: Current state of college football not ‘sustainable’

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Nick Saban’s willingness to adapt and often be a catalyst for change in college football, both on the field and off, has propelled Alabama to six national championships in 13 seasons. “I think that anybody that cares about college football is not real …

3 years, 2 months ago

With ‘relentless recruiting,’ Bama, UGA build all-star teams

Associated Press

After Georgia beat Florida in November, Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart was asked about the importance of recruiting. “There’s a big difference.” Of the 85 scholarship players listed on Alabama’s roster to start the season, 74 were either four- or five-star recruits, including 14 five-stars. “I think that’s one of the biggest challenges that I took by coming here, being able …

3 years, 7 months ago

Talent in, talent out: Young, No. 1 Alabama still favorites

Associated Press

The bad news for Alabama: The Heisman Trophy-winning receiver and his quarterback are gone, along with the star tailback and Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year. Alabama must replace six first-round NFL draft picks, including receiver DeVonta Smith, quarterback Mac Jones and tailback Najee Harris from one of the nation’s most explosive offenses. The defense didn’t lose nearly as …

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