Nick Saban Leaves Alabama and CFB with a Legacy and Impact That Will Never Be Matched

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Back in November of 2016, I was given an assignment: spend a November Saturday with Nick Saban’s statue stationed just outside Bryant-Denny Stadium and then write about it.

Yes, he had a statue back then.

Yes, it was surrounded by people (and dogs) pretty much throughout the day.

No, I never actually went into the game. The subject, after all, was the statue.

It felt somewhat strange to see a community worship a nine-foot-tall bronze statue of a coach who was still pacing the sideline a few hundred yards away. But it also felt right.

In that moment, Saban felt immortal. It felt like he could coach and would coach forever. Despite the notion that time would eventually say otherwise, one could never quite process what college football would look like without him.

On Wednesday, that moment came. Without fanfare or fair warning, Saban officially announced his retirement at the age of 72.

“The University of Alabama has been a very special place to Terry and me,” Saban said in a statement. “We have enjoyed every minute of our 17 years being the head coach at Alabama as well as becoming a part of the Tuscaloosa community. It is not just about how many games we won and lost, but it’s about the legacy and how we went about it.”

When it comes to accolades, you must start somewhere. Saban won seven national championships in total. Six of those national titles came at Alabama, making his 17-year run one of the more remarkable tenures in all of sports. His other came at LSU.

Along the way, he won 11 SEC Championships and one MAC Championship as the head coach of Toledo. His overall record of 292-71-1, while preposterous, still somehow doesn’t quite capture his dominance.

Oh, we could keep going. The most decorated coaching career, arguably in all of sports, can be sliced and celebrated in just about any way. Perhaps what’s most jarring about all the numbers, statistics and trophies, however, is how Saban was able to earn this during this time.

The facility upgrades and a new era of recruiting were all products of Saban’s master influence. He didn’t just treat Alabama like an elite college football program; he treated this program like a business when it comes to resources and investments.

When he did something, others followed. That mindset has since become the norm across college football, although it started there.

And when it started, Saban’s teams were glorified boa constrictors. The quarterbacks and offenses were largely an afterthought. The defense, littered with future first-round picks, were smothering and enough. That was the formula.

But then Saban evolved. He knew he would have to, or the dynasty would bottom out. He hired Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian and others to be his offensive coordinator, which felt shocking at the time. He relinquished control of the offense—something many assumed he would never do.

This decision grew into a movement. Saban didn’t just unlock offense at Alabama; he recruited and developed quarterbacks Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa. (Both quarterbacks will start for their NFL franchises in the playoffs this weekend.) He even helped a wide receiver, DeVonta Smith, win a Heisman.

Each offseason, Saban would break down his own performance just like an opponent’s film. He would look for holes and then look to plug those holes. As college football introduced new variables—an early signing period, the transfer portal, an NIL—Saban seamlessly evolved with it.

He might complain about a change every now and then, just to let you know how he felt. But then Alabama would adapt, just like it did in recent years, and the powerful mothership would move forward without a hitch.

It should come as no surprise that Saban’s greatest rival at the end of his run, Kirby Smart, was a product of Saban’s guidance and greatness. Smart’s experience as Alabama’s defensive coordinator under Saban paved the way for his tremendous success at Georgia.

To beat the master, Smart had to become him. Although Smart will likely be left wondering what might have been after losing to Saban in the SEC Championship Game this season.

In the end, the master won. Against his former assistant coaches, Saban finished 31-3 overall.

All the greatness will give way to the void, and it will be enormous. Not just in Tuscaloosa, which has the impossible task of replacing a legend, but across college football.

His presence was overpowering. He could be fierce, and he often was on the sidelines when laying into an official, player or an assistant coach. He could also uncork a one-liner without warning, and his softer side appeared more often these past few years.

His personality and success created plenty of opinions. He was both loved and hated. He was deeply competitive and imaginative. Above all, he was remarkably interesting.

In a sport that thrives in personalities, Saban’s absence will be nearly impossible to replace.

On the field, however, Saban will leave a legacy that will never be matched. From the championships to the conference championships to the sheer longevity of staying 17 years in one city, these elements feel almost unduplicable moving forward.

He was that good, and Saban built Alabama into the surest thing in all of sports. The fact that it lasted nearly two decades will forever remain impossible to process.

Making this challenge that much more difficult, of course, is the way college football is evolving. A larger playoff field coupled with the increased impact of the transfer portal and NIL make Saban’s accomplishments feel that much larger.

This isn’t just the departure of the best college football coach to ever grace a sideline. It’s the beginning of a more volatile, more unpredictable time across the sport. This kind of prolonged brilliance simply will never be seen again.

This, quite simply, is the end of an era.

On Wednesday night, shortly after the news of Saban’s retirement was announced, Alabama fans gathered around Saban’s statue to celebrate that era.

They took pictures. They left flowers and other gifts. They even left boxes of his favorite snack, Oatmeal Crème Pies.

For the first time since that statue’s inception, the statue felt more pronounced and final. It will never be looked at the same, nor should it.

Although Saban will never grace an Alabama sideline again as the head coach, that statue will remain just outside the stadium. It will be visited by Alabama fans from around the world, perhaps even more so now, hoping to get a glimpse at the man whose resume and impact will never be matched.