Five-star wide receiver Ryan Williams says Nick Saban claims he will coach 'until he croaks over'

Alabama head coach Nick Saban is 71 years old and still going strong. It doesn’t sound as if Saban has plans of retiring any time soon.

Five-star receiver Ryan Williams is a class of 2025 prospect and Alabama native who is committed to play for Saban and the Crimson Tide.

Williams told Bud Elliott of CBS Sports that Saban isn’t thinking about calling it a career yet.

“Well, we’ve talked about that, of course,” Williams acknowledged. “But he said he’s going to be coaching until he croaks over.”

That answer was obviously all Williams needed to hear as he committed to Alabama last October.

Williams is rated as a five-star recruit and the No. 4 overall player in the country for the class of 2025, according to the On3 Industry rankings, a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. He recently told On3’s Chad Simmons that he is “extremely locked in” with the Crimson Tide.

Alabama and Nick Saban will look to get back in the national title picture in 2023, after failing to reach the College Football Playoff last year.

Saban has won seven national championships during his career, including in 2020 when the Crimson Tide knocked off Ohio State in the College Football Playoff championship game.

If Saban can keep landing players like Williams, the Crimson Tide should continue to compete for a College Football Playoff berth as long as Saban is there.

Kirk Herbstreit is ‘leaning to Alabama’ to win the national championship

ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit joins Ryan Williams in continuing to be a believer in Nick Saban.

In an appearance on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ on Thursday, Herbstreit didn’t just back up ‘Bama amidst all the doubt. He actually went as far as to say that, as of today, the Tide are his pick to win the College Football Playoff in 2023 because “it’s guaranteed.”

“You’ve got to be a step ahead of everything in this world, right? Be really careful of listening to, ‘Well, David Pollack said there’s a new (favorite)’. (Because) that’s right when Alabama comes back and just throws their trump card down and whips everyone,” Herbstreit said.

“I haven’t even really, like, dug in (but) I’m already leaning to Alabama to win the national championship,” added Herbstreit. “Just when you say Nick (Saban) is done, Alabama’s done, Kirby (Smart) says goodbye? Here comes Alabama. They’re going to win it all.

“So if I’m betting right now? I don’t even know what it says in Vegas. (But) I’m betting on Alabama to win the national championship,” he continued. “I would say at this point? It’s guaranteed. We’ll see with injuries and what happens. But do not sleep on ‘Bama.”