Nick Saban Explains How Michigan Game Contributed to His Retirement
It’s wild to think that Nick Saban coached his last game against Michigan in the Rose Bowl. He’s such a living legend, and I never expected him to retire after a loss like that. But, as it turns out, that Michigan game is one of the reasons he retired. Saban explains why in a new interview.
Saban was unhappy with how his team reacted after losing the Rose Bowl. He sounds like he was downright embarrassed. Alabama fell 27-20 to the Wolverines in the College Football Playoff on Jan. 1, 2024. Michigan went on to win the National Championship. The Alabama loss was dramatic, as they fell overtime following Jalen Milroe’s fourth-down run being stopped at the line of scrimmage. Not long after the game, Saban announced he would be retiring, which was quite a shock to the football sphere. He’s been a coach for a long time, but he’s still at the top of his game.
How Michigan Contributed to Nick Saban’s Retiring
In a new interview with ESPN, he talked about what “contributed” to his surprising move to retire. He told ESPN that while it wasn’t the reason, the events contributed to his decision. “I was disappointed in how the players acted after the game,” Saban explains, adding that you have to win with class and lose with class. So true. “We had our opportunities to win the game, and we didn’t do it, and then showing your a** and being frustrated and throwing helmets and doing that stuff … that’s not who we are and what we’ve promoted in our program.”
I’ll miss seeing Saban on the sidelines. I know he was a coach to play under, but nobody can contest that Saban was the greatest college football coach of every season; he’ll be an analyst for ESPN, so we’ll still see him a bit.