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Nick Saban's head coaching career may be over. This seems to be the consensus of college football fans, following the Crimson Tide's loss in the Rose Bowl to Michigan.
There is currently no indication from Saban that he intends to retire from coaching. But it did not stop fans and commentators from talking about it.
One of the people to do so was the host of ESPN First Take, Stephen A. Smith. Smith shared his opinion on the future of Nick Saban:
“I would be shocked if Nick Saban walked away from Alabama and from coaching and walked into retirement."
This reaction from Smith is not surprising.
Saban turned the Crimson Tide into a national powerhouse. Almost every year, they make the College Football Playoff. Since 2014, they have made the National Championship game six times, winning three of them.
Additionally, Alabama is still a powerhouse in the SEC. In the same 10-year window (since 2014), Alabama has made seven SEC Championship games, winning them all.
This success can be attributed to Nick Saban. And with the success has come financial security as well. According to Celebrity Net Worth, the Alabama head coach has a net worth of $70 million.
While Saban is going through his longest gap between national championship titles (three years), the program is always going to be in the race for it. Why would he want to retire now and leave the program while it is still one of the best in the country?
Nick Saban's coaching career
Saban began his head coaching career in 1990 with Toledo. He spent one season with the team.
After a brief spell as a defensive coordinator in the NFL, he returned to head coaching in 1995 with Michigan State.
However, it was his move to LSU in 1999 that began to cement his legacy. Saban led the Tigers to the 2003 National Championship, which was his first of seven titles.
He then moved to Alabama in 2007 and has remained there ever since. In his 17 seasons in Tuscaloosa, Saban has turned Alabama into a national powerhouse, where he has won six of his seven national championships.
If Saban is to retire, it will bring to an end a coaching career that will go down as one of, if not, the most successful careers in college football history.
