The leaving of Alabama’s greatest coach continues to make waves in the world of college football. Nick Saban called it quits from coaching this past January and shocked the fans of the sport all over. Even after a month into his retirement, the conversations still revolve around the 72-year-old coach.

Nick Saban, the former HC for the Alabama Crimson Tide, announced his decision to retire from coaching after a career of 28 glorious years. As such, a coach like Saban retiring after devoting almost two decades to football will be a name that will be etched on the tongues of all fans who claim to be in love with the sport. Additionally, Jim Harbaugh leaving the Michigan Wolverines for the LA Chargers was certainly a hot topic of discussion but couldn’t take precedence over Saban’s retirement. McElroy and Finebaum resonated with these exact thoughts on ESPN College Football.

Paul Finebaum says that Saban’s retirement was the biggest breaking news in 2023

On the latest episode of ESPN College Football, Greg McElroy and Paul Finebaum have a conversation about what the biggest storyline of the CFB in 2023 was. They instantly thought of Harbaugh and Saban as the leading contenders, but the former HC for Alabama held a higher place in the argument.

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Finebaum said, “I think specifically, it’s the end of Saban because we have so rarely, if ever, maybe once in modern time, had a moment like this and it had so many reverberations so with the players leaving and then players leaving Washington and all the other Domino effects. That was a jolt. I think long term, the court cases may be more important ones, in Tennessee recently, that may have essentially killed off the NCAA but I think when you look at it, it was jaw-dropping in a 24-hour period. Harbaugh was on the verge of leaving, Saban did then from the professor world… Belichick. It was highly unusual at that time of the year to get that much, not only breaking news but just earth-shattering news.”

Thus, while Harbaugh continues onwards with his dreams of winning a Super Bowl, the fans will remember Saban for a long time for a historical career as one of the best coaches in football. But while Saban is missed, here’s a look at the internal conflict that the 7-time natty champion coach faced about his retirement decision.

Nick Saban’s biggest challenge in concluding his retirement.

Before Saban arrived at Alabama in 2007, the team won its last national championship in 1992. He led the team to a natty after a 17-year-long drought and the rest was history. The Alabama coach redefined the program for good, but later revealed that the decision to retire didn’t come easy to him.

In a recent statement, Saban opened up and said, “It was a hard decision. Look, I love coaching. I love the relationship with the players. The thing that made it more difficult for me is I felt like it might be the right time for me, but how it impacted the players and the coaches, all the people who work here in the building who contribute to the success of the team, how would it affect them. That was the hard part. That was the part I kept vacillating on back and forth.”

He further added, “I was on the phone – we had a meeting at 4:00 and it was 3:55, I was sitting in my chair looking at the clock saying ‘you’ve got five minutes to decide which speech you’re going to give’. I was actually talking to Miss Terry right up until that time. It was a difficult decision because it impacts and influences the lives of so many people.” The men in Crimson will never forget the efforts of Saban and he will forever be a part of Alabama history as the greatest ever.

Read more: Senior Bowl’s Director Tips Hat to Gridiron Greats: Nick Saban, Kalen DeBoer, and Stellar Coaching Lineup

Will Saban’s legacy be replicated at Alabama by any other coach? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.