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Former Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban has nothing left to prove as a head coach, at least at the college level.

Saban went 292-71-1 during his time as head coach of Toledo, Michigan State, LSU and Alabama. He won one national title with LSU and six national championships with the Crimson Tide. He won two SEC championships with LSU and nine with Alabama.

Saban, 74, stepped down from Alabama after the 2023 season. Since then, there has been speculation as to whether he'd get back into coaching at some point. Given his passion for coaching, it's hard to think of him as retired.

However, one reason suggested for Saban's departure from coaching is the changes to modern college football with NIL and the transfer portal. 

During an appearance on ESPN's "Get Up" on Tuesday, Saban made an admission about why he stepped down from coaching. He claims it had nothing to do with NIL, but had more to do with spending time with his family after dealing with the pressures of coaching for so long.

Saban argued that he continued to coach when NIL started. It didn't bother him too much, as he managed to deal with the salary cap when he was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. It should be noted he lasted two years in the NFL before going back to college.

Saban noted that he has not plans to get back into coaching. One worry he had before he stepped down from Alabama was that opposing programs would use his age against him when recruiting players. 

Age is interesting idea. North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick is 74, but he's not  doing the job at quite the same level Saban was during his final years at Alabama.

Nick Saban's successor is coming into his own

Saban's successor, Kalen DeBoer, had to deal with the expectations of being compared to the legendary coach early in his tenure at Alabama. The Crimson Tide have lost four games in each of the two seasons under DeBoer, which invited criticism from parts of the fan base. 

Alabama invested in DeBoer earlier this year by giving him a contract extension after beating Oklahoma in the first round of the College Football Playoff. 

This season, DeBoer appears to have taken the next step with Alabama. The Crimson Tide are 4-0, and have looked like a legitimate CFP contender through the month of September.

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