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Writer's pictureZach Lowe

See Ya Saban

Nick Saban Retires From College Football and Starts a Domino Effect


Photo by Sarah Elizabeth on Unsplash


For the past 16 years Nick Saban has been leading the Alabama Crimson Tide team on the field to victory. Before Saban bled Crimson, he made a name for himself while coaching for the Miami Dolphins and the Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers. In his tenure at Alabama, Saban was able to achieve six national titles as well as nine Southeastern Conference (SEC) titles, placing him on the Mount Rushmore of head coaches. 


Saban started his career at Kent State in 1973 as the Linebacker Coach. After bouncing around schools for a little while Saban landed his first head coaching job at Toledo in 1990. He made his NFL head coaching debut for the Miami dolphins in 2005 after coaching at LSU the year before. After a year with the dolphins Saban would be hired by the Crimson Tide and the rest was history. 


“Nick Saban will go down as one of the greatest coaches of all time,” senior Nathan Lillie said. “He revolutionized how to coach college football and the way the game is played.”


Saban's departure did not affect only the Tide but teams all around the country. With his spot empty Alabama had to fill the spot and they looked for CFP runner up and head coach of the Washington Huskies, Kalen Debor.


“He was a great hire for the team and it’s going to be interesting to see what he can do with the program,” Lillie said. 


With Debor leaving, Washington looked to fill their opening. They would go on to hire the former Arizona Wildcats head coach, Jeff Fisch. 


“Saban was a great coach but it was time for him to leave,” senior Abbi Sherman said. “It’s good for college football.”


Although Saban is no longer coaching, he does still have all access to the football facilities and training. Debor wants to keep him involved and maintain a good relationship with the players despite the coaching change.


With Saban gone many things have changed. Coaches and players are leaving but Debor says he has “high hopes” for the program. The Crimson Tide will face off against the West Kentucky University Hilltoppers on Aug. 31, and Debor will have his first in conference SEC game when Alabama takes on the Georgia Bulldogs on Sept. 28.

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