Will Anderson on Nick Saban's retirement: 'I was in shock'

On Jan. 10, Will Anderson Jr. and the Houston Texans were doing their game preparation for their Wild Card game against the Cleveland Browns. That same day, Nick Saban held a meeting with his Alabama players to inform them of his retirement, putting an end to one of the legendary coaching careers in the sport.

The news quickly made its way around social media after ESPN’s Chris Low broke the story. When Anderson saw the news, he had to make sure it was really happening. Although there was speculation throughout the 2023 season, there didn’t seem to be many indications the greatest of all time was ready to hang it up.

In fact, Anderson – who played for Alabama from 2020-22 – he never thought Saban would step away.

“Bro, I was in shock, honestly,” Anderson told On3 via Zoom from the Panini America VIP event in Las Vegas. “Like, I’m not gonna lie, I was like, is this fake? I thought it was fake news.

“People in the building were asking me, I was like, ‘Bro, Coach Saban’s gonna die in that chair. There’s no way he’s ever going to retire. This is it for him. That’s what he’s going to do for the rest of his life.’ And I was like dang, he proved me wrong.”

Anderson flourished under Saban’s watch. He finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2021 and became the No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft when the Texans traded up to select him. It’s safe to say the transition to the NFL went well as he brought home Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.

But that journey started at Alabama as a freshman in 2020. In fact, when he arrived on campus, Saban didn’t even call Anderson by name. During practice, he wasn’t “Will Anderson,” but rather his number – 31. That later changed, and Anderson still remembers the moment he heard Saban call him by name for the first time.

“He used to do this thing [where] he’s like, ’31,'” Anderson said. “He used to either yell at me or just say, ‘What’s up, 31?’ And I think was after my first time starting the first game of the season my freshman year. I was normal, smiling – always, big smile on my face, getting ready for practice – and I was running past him, smiling. And he was like, ‘What’s up, Will? I hope you have a great day today.’ And I tell you, my whole demeanor had changed. I was looking around, like, he’s talking to me?

“It had just made my whole day. I don’t know why, but I was like a little kid that had just probably seen his first astronaut or something [or] like my first dinosaur or something. Like, I was just hyped. I was just going crazy inside, like, ‘Bro, he just just called me by my name. He actually knows my name.’ Which is really weird to say for a head coach, but it was it was funny.”

As Saban heads into retirement, he’s not going too far away from the game of football. He’s joining ESPN’s College GameDay as an analyst and will also help out with NFL Draft coverage. It’s not the first time he’s done TV work, which should help him transition.

To Anderson, it’s a chance for fans to see a new side of him. During press conferences and on the sidelines, Saban was known for his stoic or fiery demeanor. He’ll now be able to open up a bit, and Anderson thinks viewers will enjoy it.

“I think it’s a really good chance for people to really see his personality,” Anderson said. “Because he really does have one.”