Even at age 72 and after 17 seasons in Tuscaloosa, Nick Saban’s retirement in Tuscaloosa came as a surprise.
According to the former Alabama football head coach, he made the final decision to retire just minutes before a Jan. 10 team meeting in which he announced the decision to his players.
Will Reichard and Justin Eboigbe were not in the room when this happened. The kicker and defensive lineman were preparing for the NFL draft when Saban announced the news.
Eboigbe learned of the massive change through a video call.“I just finished practice, a lot of people hit me up,” Eboigbe said after a Senior Bowl practice in Mobile.
“I called a former teammate of mine and he told me. FaceTime checked me in and showed me the locker room.
Eboigbe was shocked, as were many of his other former Alabama teammates. They didn’t expect it and said Saban was all in on the 2023 tide and showed no signs of slowing down.
Despite the confusion, there was no anger.“It was his time,” Eboigbe said. “You can only give him respect because at the end of the day he gave everything. He always wanted to leave it in better condition than he found it.
»Reichard, who became NCAA football’s leading scorer in five seasons under Saban’s tutelage, found out via text message.
He said he was also shocked by the news. According to the kicker, there was no indication that a retirement was in the cards during the 2023 season.
“It looked like he was completely convinced, and he was,” Reichard said.
“I think he made that decision after the season ended, but he didn’t show up during the season.
”Saban won six national titles in Tuscaloosa, seven in his entire career.
He transformed the Crimson Tide into an unstoppable killing machine, one of the few programs always in contention.His legacy has not been lost on the latest group of his elders.
Eboigbe said he has faith in new head coach Kalen DeBoer, but expects Saban’s influence to continue to be felt.
“I feel like the culture that Coach Saban instilled in that group of guys still has a lot of people in it,” Eboigbe said.
“A lot of people talk about the guys that are gone, but there’s still a great group of guys that are going to bring that culture to the next group of guys that (DeBoer) brings in.
There will be some resemblance to Coach Saban there. He will always be there. It is not because he is not physically present in everyday life that his presence will not be felt.
