Desmond Howard surprised by timing of Nick Saban retirement announcement

ESPN College GameDay analyst Desmond Howard has known Nick Saban for years, dating back to when Howard was in high school and being recruited by Saban.

Despite the two having a longtime relationship, even he was caught off guard by Saban announcing his retirement on Wednesday.

“I was surprised, because I think that a lot of people thought he would be back, just because of the way they made the exit in the College Football Playoff,” Desmond Howard said Thursday on First Take. “They lost to Michigan in overtime of the Rose Bowl — instant classic. It was a thriller. But you would think, ‘OK, he’s going to be back,’ because he’s Nick Saban. So I was actually surprised.”

Nick Saban recruited Howard when he was an assistant at Michigan State in the 1980s.

The two have had a mutual respect since then, through college and to Saban’s appearances on College GameDay 30 years later.

“He tells a story today about how he would come down to St. Joseph and we would have this nasty, muddy field and how the weather was just terrible, because we were right there on the lake,” Howard recalled. “But he respected the program, because he knew that our coach produced tough-minded individuals. And when you think of Nick Saban, he’s a tough-minded coach.

“He wants to hold his players accountable. But beyond that, he’s one of those coaches who really wants the best for his players. He wants them to think big picture. And because of his approach, I’ve always had a tremendous amount of respect for him since he recruited me in high school, since I covered him at Alabama, at LSU, and since he’s joined GameDay on numerous occasions as a guest host.”

Saban is arguably the greatest college football coach of all time.

He retires having won seven national titles and 11 SEC titles over his 28 seasons as a college head coach.

Desmond Howard believes Saban is not only one of the best college football coaches of all time but one of the best coaches of all time, regardless of sport.

“Nick Saban is a man who I’ve had just a tremendous amount of respect for. What he meant to the game, another one of the greatest coaches of all time in any sport,” Howard said.

It’s hard to argue with that at all based on what Saban accomplished over his incredible coaching career.