LSU coach Brian Kelly opens up about Nick Saban retirement

When Alabama head coach Nick Saban announced his retirement, in many ways, it shocked the world. For LSU coach Brian Kelly, his reaction was no different, as he recently took the time to talk about the legendary head coach and what it means for college football.

LSU coach Brian Kelly shares thoughts on recent Nick Saban retirement

Just about anyone even slightly involved in college athletics knows of the legend of former Alabama head coach Nick Saban. In turn, when he announced his retirement in early January, it generated quite the mixed bag of reactions.

From heartbreak to celebration, fans and coaches took to the media to share their thoughts, and just recently on the Paul Finebaum Show, LSU coach Brian Kelly took the time to speak on the subject.

“First of all, I was surprised,” the Tiger head coach began. “We were on a zoom call the day that he made the announcement, and it was business as usual, but that’s Nick (Saban). Right? Never is he a guy that is going to take the easy way. I mean, he’s gonna work right up to the last second, so, there was no indication, there was no ‘Hey, I’m thinking about it.’ He probably walked in and just made his mind up and said I’m moving on.”

In just two short seasons as a part of the SEC, coach Kelly achieved a record of 1-1 against the legendary Alabama head coach. Additionally, having faced off twice while Kelly was with Notre Dame, Saban has officially retired with a 3-1 record vs. the Tiger head coach.

“He is the standard of what everybody’s trying to achieve, and that is incredible consistency at the highest level. Championships, he’s done it with class and distinction, and he’s set the bar. So, now, he’s got a golf game to work on, and I’m sure he’ll work on it every single day.”

The legendary head coach doesn’t appear to be done with college football

For many, the word retirement means getting out of the business and finding new things to do. While coach Nick Saban has shown a recent interest in the game of golf, it’s a pretty safe assumption that the 72-year-old college football legend won’t be getting out of the sport anytime soon.

Already, it’s been confirmed that he’ll continue to be a part of the sport as an analyst for ESPN College Gameday. This will not only allow him to stay close to the game, but he’ll be able to speak on subjects that he might not have had an opportunity to while he was coaching.

In many ways, this could very well include his thoughts on the future of the sport and how we can improve things going forward.

Nick Saban emphasized that he wants to be a voice for change in college football despite retiring from coaching.

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— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) February 22, 2024

“We have somebody with such great knowledge, that I know he wants to give it back as well,” LSU coach Brian Kelly continued. “I read his comments a couple of days ago or yesterday about how he’s gonna use this as an opportunity to do the best he can because he loves the student athlete – the college student athlete. I think that’s gonna be great for college football.”

With the additions of NIL, the transfer portal and social media, the sport of college football is almost unrecognizable from just five years ago. Whether this is a good or a bad thing is up for discussion, but if former Alabama coach Nick Saban has an opportunity to leave his mark on the direction things go, he’s almost certain to take advantage of it as we look ahead to future seasons.

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