Paul Finebaum calls Nick Saban retirement a 'great time to leave'

Nick Saban’s retirement came as a surprise to everyone in the college football world. Just over one week prior, Saban had led Alabama to yet another College Football Playoff run and was primed to do so again in 2024.

Saban’s decision to retire from the sport wasn’t as spontaneous or knee-jerk as you might believe, however. SEC analyst Paul Finebaum explained the tell-tale signs of Saban’s impending retirement.

“There have been signals pointing toward this for a very long time,” Finebaum said during an appearance on SportsCenter. “But the problem is every time you dare to breathe that, somebody wants to punch you in the mouth and say that he’s never going to retire, that he’ll be there forever. But the reality is, I think he knew how special this season was. He beat the odds. Don’t forget, the 4th and 31 at Auburn when nobody expected them to do it. And then he did the unthinkable.

“He ended the Georgia hoax of a three-peat. I think that was very special to him because he stopped Georgia and went to the playoffs. At the Rose Bowl last week, a lot of people came out of there going, ‘There’s no way he would walk away,’ and the narrative got drowned out. But deep down I think he knew this was the moment. Win or lose last week, it was a great time to leave.”

Saban, 72, has been the head coach at Alabama since 2007, leading the Crimson Tide to six national championships during that time. He also won a title at LSU, giving him seven championships as part of his legendary career. He was 16-7 in bowl games throughout his career and led Alabama to a winning record in every season since 2008. 

Most recently, he led his team to a 12-2 record. As SEC Champions, the Crimson Tide fell to eventual national champion Michigan in the College Football Playoff semifinal. On top of that, his record of 201-28 since taking over the program in 2007 is the best of any coach during that time. It will certainly be hard — if not impossible — to top.

For now, however, Alabama will hae to shift its tide and regroup under its new leadership — which has still yet to be determined. Several major coaching names throughout college football has been rumored for the job, but athletic director Greg Bryne’s hire is more than likely going to come sooner rather than later.