Breaking news: Nick Saban received a death threat message from …
Nick Saban doesn’t sound like he’ll be doing much picking against Alabama on ESPN’s College GameDay.
The former Crimson Tide coach told reporters there may be times when he chooses to have a “spiritual feeling” when deciding who to pick to win games.
“I’ve tried to steer away from picking people. I think I’m going to have to do that now,” Saban said (2:35 mark). “But, I don’t know that you always have to pick the team you think is going to win. You are allowed to have a spiritual feeling about who you like and who you want to win. So, I think it will be a lot of fun, though.”
Saban retired after the 2023 season and joined ESPN as an analyst. Alabama won six national championships in Saban’s 17 seasons at the helm, with the 72-year-old finishing his career with an astonishing 201-29 record in Tuscaloosa.
The Tide finished outside the Top Five just once in Saban’s final 10 seasons with the program.
“It’s been good,” Saban said of retirement (1:00 mark). “I’m anxious to see that we can do whatever we can to continue to support Alabama athletics and the athletic program and the football program and hope that the players and the coaches that are there continue to have a great amount of success.”
Former Washington coach Kalen DeBoer was named Saban’s successor last month. DeBoer led the Huskies to a national championship game appearance last season and was 25-3 in his two seasons with the program. The 49-year-old has had success throughout his coaching career, including three NAIA national titles while coaching at the University of Sioux Falls.
Saban said he has attempted to stay away from the program during DeBoer’s first month to avoid stepping on any toes.
“I really haven’t been around. I really tried to stay at arm’s length,” Saban said (2:15 mark). “I don’t want anybody to think I’m looking over their shoulder. I think he’s hired a good staff, and I think he’s a good man. I think he’s a great coach, and I think he’ll do a really good job.”
DeBoer managed to keep most of Saban’s final recruiting class at Alabama intact. The Tide ranked second behind only Georgia in 247Sports’ rankings for the best class in this year’s recruiting cycle.
Saban noted the uniqueness of the challenges facing DeBoer given the NIL era and the pressure to continue having success.
“This is a totally different era now. We already signed 23 or 24 players in the early signing period, but then the opportunity those guys have to go someplace else, and now you have to re-recruit them. I think they did a really good job of that,” Saban said (5:45 mark). “Managing a roster now is one of the most challenging things you have to do—especially when you have a change like this.
“This is not a normal change. Normally, when you have a change, it’s because the program was unsuccessful and you’re bringing in somebody to fix it. This is kind of unprecedented in a way. … You have a successful program, and you make a change, it’s a little bit different in terms of how you manage a roster, how you keep continuity in your program with the players you have and the players you recruited. All in all, I think they did a pretty good job of that.”
DeBoer may have navigated a difficult offseason, but his real test will come when Alabama’s season kicks off in September.
