Alabama football staff members reveal the 'panic' that set in during Nick Saban's retirement
In the fourth episode of "The Tides That Bind," a series streaming exclusively on Fox Nation, staff members of the Crimson Tide reflect on the shocking announcement of Saban deciding to end his coaching career. "Jan. 10, 2024, is absolutely a day that will always be in my memory," Director of Sports Medicine for University of Alabama athletics Jeff Allen said in the new episode.
During a scheduled team meeting on that fateful January day, Saban got up on stage and everything seemed "normal," according to former NFL player and Director of Player Development Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. "He was having his normal conversations, like you know, we're getting ready to go fight for another championship," he said.
"And towards the end of his conversation, this meeting he kind of started, you know, stumbling a little bit, kind of teary-eyed. You can feel the energy change in the room."
"It just came out," Assistant Athletics Director Dr. Ginger Gilmore said. "He says, 'so I'm going to retire.'"
Saban, 73, won six national championships with the Crimson Tide from 2007 to 2023. He produced four Heisman Trophy winners during his 17 seasons with the team, including Mark Ingram II, Derrick Henry, DeVonta Smith and Bryce Young. Before his stint with Alabama, he won a national championship in 2003 with Louisiana State.
"The players are shocked," Director of Player Development Denzel Devall remarked of the dreaded moment. "Everybody is in disbelief, like it's a dream. And when he walks off the stage, that's when reality hits like, damn… the GOAT is gone."
"What we've known for 17 years has been absolutely, you know, turned upside down," Allen echoed, describing the seismic shift Saban's announcement made.
Despite the panic that took over Tuscaloosa during Saban's exit from the program, the Crimson Tide managed to hire a successor with winning pedigree, former Washington Huskies coach Kalen DeBoer. In DeBoer's first year, the team finished the 2024 season 9-4 but failed to reach the expanded College Football Playoff.DeBoer recently spoke with Fox News Digital about what it's been like to fill Saban's shoes and the team's partnership with Fox Nation.
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