Aaron Murray predicts Nick Saban will not coach another five years, win another national championship

Regardless of what happens from here on, Nick Saban is going to go down as one of college football’s all-time best. Still, with some gas still left in the tank, how much farther can Alabama go with one of the best to ever do it at the helm?

Not much longer says Aaron Murray. That was his opinion in a recent appearance on the ‘3 And Out’ Podcast with John Middlekauf. To start, he did ask plenty of very valid questions regarding Saban’s interest and ability to deal with the new era of college football at his age. Even so, the Crimson Tide’s recent success on the recruiting trail does suggest that, on some level, that fire is still burning in Saban.

“We always wonder, like, when is the end for Nick Saban? Like, at some point, he’s 71, maybe 72 this year. Somewhere in the early 70s. And college football is changing,” Murray said. “There’s always a thought of can you teach an old dog new tricks? Can Nick continue to evolve with the new SEC, expanded playoffs, this NIL world which is a complete headache right now? Does he have the energy to do it?”

“He proved it last year that he still does. A No. 1 recruiting class, probably the best recruiting class that he’s ever put together, which says something,” continued Murray. “He’s still got the dog in him, he’s still got the fight in him.”

However, that’s the point when Murray began to explain his doubts. With what college football has become and where the sport is set to go in the next few seasons, he admitted that he doesn’t see a world where Saban is either still coaching after the next half decade or wins another national championship either.

“How much longer? Two things,” Murray said. “Will Nick ever win another natty? And over or under four and a half years left of coaching? I don’t think he coaches another five years. And I don’t know if he wins another national championship either.”

“I don’t think it’s going to happen this year. I think it’s going to be more and more difficult to win a national championship because of this new format. And, all of a sudden, you start to see Nick Saban, who has dominated the sport for so long, slowly start coming down that mountain,” said Murray. “Already? He hasn’t won in two years, which is rare for them. You don’t win again this year, which I don’t think that they have the team to do it. Then you don’t do it next year? All of a sudden that’s four years in a row and people start questioning if that is truly the last time that we’ve seen Nick win.”

If there’s one coach you shouldn’t count out, it’s probably Nick Saban. If there’s one program you shouldn’t count out, it’s probably Alabama.

With that said, the path has become far more difficult for ‘Bama and will continue to do so. That’s why, at some point down the line, Murray doesn’t necessarily believe that Saban will be riding off into the sunset upon his decision to retire one day after while.

“I say he makes it another four or five years. I just don’t know if we seem him win another national championship, though,” Murray said.