Colorado Buffaloes football coach Deion Sanders and Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban have spent significant time with each other since Sanders became a head coach at Jackson State in 2020.
Saban and Sanders have starred in Aflac commercials over the last couple years. However, when the 2024 college football season begins, things will look very different in Alabama after Saban announced his retirement after 17 seasons on Wednesday afternoon.
Moments after the 72-year-old’s announcement, Sanders applauded Saban while also suggesting that the changes in the sport led to his retirement sooner rather than later.
WOW! College Football just lost the GOAT to retirement. WOW! I knew it would happen 1 day soon but not this soon. The game has change so much that it chased the GOAT away. College football let's hold up our mirrors and say HONESTLY what u see. #CoachPrime @CUBuffsFootball
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) January 10, 2024
The college football landscape has indeed dramatically changed since Saban began his tenure in the sport back in 1973 as a graduate assistant at his alma mater Kent State, mainly due to the growing use of the transfer portal and name, image and likeness.
With Saban’s college coaching tenure ending, he leaves the sport with seven national titles that includes six with the Crimson Tide and a split championship in ’03 at LSU. He departs Alabama with a career record of 206–29 that includes a 12–2 season and a SEC title in ’23 before losing to eventual CFP champion Michigan in the Rose Bowl.