Paul Finebaum reveals how Nick Saban, 70, has defied his age compared to Bear Bryant

Nick Saban’s ongoing run as the top dog in college football coaching ranks doesn’t appear to be ending imminently, despite the coach creeping up on his 71st birthday at the end of October. He just recently signed a contract extension to keep him at Alabama for another eight years, through February 2030.

While it seems unlikely that Saban is still leading the Tide from the sidelines into his 80s, he’s already made it to a more advanced age than another Alabama legend: Bear Bryant, who died in 1983 at the age of 69. In an appearance on Outside the Lines, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum recently offered some insight into how Saban persists when others have not.

“I think some of it is how Nick Saban looks versus Bear Bryant,” Finebaum said. “Bear Bryant was an old man. Which is understandable when you turn 69. But he looked old. He looked decrepit. There were lines in face that were deeper than the crevices and the craters of the Moon. Saban still looks pretty good at 70. He’s not as sharp walking and in every other category that maybe he was 10 or 15 years ago. But on the practice field he still resonates, great respect. He still beats everybody else and that’s really where you get the cred in college football or any sport.”

Host John Barr prodded Finebaum further, noting that the longtime SEC observer had previously predicted Saban would falloff eventually. Despite being proven wrong so far, Finebaum remains confident that eventually, and likely before the current contract extension is up, that Saban will wrap up his coaching career.

“Every time I say that he signs another contract a couple of years later. You will, and I think I have gone broke predicting Nick Saban’s demise — I just did not think that he would be able to sustain it,” Finebaum said. “And again, this newest contract, John, takes him until he’s 79. I’m still going to take the under on that. I think at some point, it does happen. And yeah, maybe it’s your health. Everyone can’t stay healthy. But, I think for the time being, he’s in good shape. Because he has the No. 1 team in the country. He’s having one of the best recruiting classes he’s ever had. And the transfer portal, as much as he’d like to rail against that, and NIL, has been good to him. He’s got the best two players in college football as the season begins.”