Nick Saban Retires: 7-Time National Championship Winning Coach Exits Alabama After 17 Seasons

Alabama coach Nick Saban, 72, has decided to retire, ending a run that ranks among the greatest in college football history, according to 247Sports' Matt Zenitz. The seven-time national championship-winning coach leaves the game having spent his last 17 seasons with the Crimson Tide.

Alabama was eliminated in the 2023 College Football Playoff semifinal, ending its season with a 27-20 loss to eventual national champion Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

Saban informed the Tide of his decision in a team meeting Wednesday, according to ESPN's Chris Low, who first reported the retirement.

Saban's seven national titles -- one at LSU (2003) and six at Alabama (2009, 2011-12, 2015, 2017, 2020), matching Bear Bryant -- stand as the most all time. His 292 career wins across a career that also included stops at Toledo and Michigan State rank Saban among the top 15 in the game's history.

The transformative nature of Alabama's peak under Saban, which saw the Tide capture those six national titles in a 12-year span from 2009-20, led the rest of the sport to chase a new standard for excellence. Some programs tried to adapt by hiring Saban's assistants to lead their teams, while others simply copied the blueprint for how to staff, evaluate, recruit and run a modern college football program.

Saban's time in football extended beyond the college ranks into the NFL. he spent one season leading Toledo before resigning to join Bill Belichick's staff as defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns from 1991-94. After stints at Michigan State and LSU, the latter of which included his first national championship, Saban accepted the head coaching position with the Miami Dolphins. Saban spent just two years in Miami, amassing a 15-17 record, before returning to college for his final run with Alabama.