Nick Saban May Be In His Last Season Now, Friend Tells OutKick, And Tide Looked Rode Hard And Put Away Wet Saturday

Nick Saban coined an oft-repeated saying while the football coach at LSU, where he won his first national championship in the 2003 season.

After a major win or the occasional loss, he liked to say, "It's time to move on."

Well folks, Alabama coach Nick Saban has decided to move on from coaching, most likely after this season or possibly after the 2024 season with the Crimson Tide.

In an exclusive interview with OutKick on Friday, a close friend of Saban for decades said the end is near.

And that seemed to play out at least in the short term in the Tide's lackluster performance Saturday in a 17-3 win over 34-point underdog South Florida.

Alabama coach Nick Saban talks to former starting QB Jalen Milroe during the Crimson Tide's win over Middle Tennessee this season in Tuscaloosa. (Photo by Joe Robbins via Getty Images)

"I would put it to you this way. I wouldn't be surprised if this his last season," he said. "Nick's worked very hard. He's given it everything he has. I don't know a human being that is more committed to doing things the right way every day no matter what, and that's exhausting. And his standards for the program are - he just doesn't compromise. He holds himself to a standard that is just incredible. And so, I'd love to see him be able to relax more and live more and enjoy the fruits of his hard work."

Saban did that on his first European vacation with his wife Terry over the summer.

He has also appeared warmer and friendlier this season than usual, apologizing to a reporter recently for his initial reaction to a question. There have been stories of how much Saban smiled during August and how pleased he was with his quarterbacks.

Saban was kind and gentle after the 34-24 upset loss at home last week to Texas and after Saturday's "win" over South Florida. Though, he should avoid social media after that one.

The Texas loss was the earliest and worst in a regular season of his career at Alabama that began in 2007. After it, he even took time to explain what a privilege it is to coach at Alabama.

Nick Saban Texas Presser Sounded A Little Like Goodbye

"And you know, it's a privilege to play in games like this," he said as he was exiting without a question. "It's a privilege to play at the University of Alabama. It's a privilege to play where you have such great tradition, and it's a privilege to play where you have such great fan support. So, we really appreciate it. Thank you."

And goodbye? It wasn't, but it sounded like a part of a retirement announcement.

On his weekly radio show Thursday, Saban sounded more like a sportswriter than a coach when talking to a regular caller.

Nick Saban makes a point with an official during Alabama's loss at LSU last season. (Getty Images)

"Well, I’ve been wanting to talk to you all week, man," he said. "We’ve got to firm up the pocket. We're setting too soft. We’re getting pushed back in the middle. Everybody thinks we can’t hold up against the blitz, but they’re sacking us with four-man rush, one three-man rush. Only one sack came off of a pressure, so, I wanted to ask, 'What the hell is going on?'"

The Crimson Tide's Lines Dominated By Longhorns

Funny, but also a very accurate description of his weak offensive line that was manhandled by a Texas team not known for that. Some have read Saban's newfound lighter approach as a sign of how comfortable he is in his skin at Alabama. They say this is a signal that he will stay for another few years and coach until he is 75.

Saban, who turns 72 on Halloween, is the highest paid college football coach in the country at $11.7 million a year. His current contract ends after the 2029 season when he will make $13.5 million. Should he walk after this season or the 2024 season, he will lose a lot of money. But he has already made a lot of money in coaching and has been very successful in business.

I see Saban's lighter approach differently. He knows there is light at the end of the tunnel - retirement and a 150-foot view of the Atlantic Ocean from his new $17.5 million home in Jupiter Island, Florida. A competitive golfer and boater for decades, Saban can play golf with his new neighbor on Jupiter - Tiger Woods.

NICK SABAN JUST BOUGHT NEW HOME

It's a golden parachute home of 6,200 square feet that is out of this world. It includes six bedrooms, four bathrooms, a guest suite, a private entrance and dock with a 40,000-pound boat lift, two outdoor kitchens and tropical gardens. Plenty of room for the grandchildren.

Saban has long had a vacation home in Lake Burton, Georgia, and he previously had one on Gasparilla Island near Tampa. But the new one in Jupiter is significant toward his imminent exit from coaching.

"Put it this way," his friend said. "I don't think he'll buy another house."

Television Career For Nick Saban Is A Strong Possibility

Jupiter Island is also just 40 minutes from the Palm Beach International Airport. That will be handy should Saban be flying to various college football locales as an analyst or for appearances.

Saban just started doing short, weekly appearances on the Pat McAfee Show. He addressed talk of his retirement on Thursday.

"Yeah, it's kind of laughable," he said. "But I guess I would ask you, 'When's the first time you heard that I was going to retire?' That started about five years ago. It creates some advantages for people, maybe, whether it's in recruiting or whatever it might be."

That's a non-denial denial for the very recruiting reasons of which he spoke. Saban is not going to announce his retirement during a season. He will likely wait until after the first signing date of Dec. 20.

"I love what I'm doing," he continued. "I'm focused on the challenge."

More non-denial denials and a much smarter approach then when Saban kept getting asked about leaving the Miami Dolphins to become Alabama's coach late in the 2006 season. He was more absolute then to preserve his locker room, but he flat lied.

"I guess I have to say it," he said on Dec. 21, 2006, when asked why doesn't he just say it. "I'm not going to be the Alabama coach."

Less than two weeks later, he was Alabama's coach. And he apologized for how he handled the exit during SEC Media Days the following summer.

Never be absolute in the midst of leaving a job. Be vague.

Nick Saban Has Been Vague About Possible Retirement

"I've always said, 'I don't want to ride the program down,'" Saban continued with McAfee. "I don't want to do this if I can't do it anymore."

And on Saturday against South Florida, Saban's program looked rode hard and put away wet.

"But I feel great right now. I love it," he said Thursday. "We've got lots of challenges this season. I'm looking forward to it, and we're all in."

He's not lying. He is all in until he's not. But he never said, "I'm not leaving Alabama."

And he is, sooner than later, partly because of his aggravation with the NCAA Transfer Portal and with NIL, but more so with the portal. Saban has no problem with players being paid, but the ability for players to transfer immediately without sitting out a year is a sword in his coaching style.

Nick Saban is as great at developing players as he is at recruiting them. At LSU and at Alabama, players had to wait to play for Saban because of the previous talent he gathered while they developed as players and became smarter. Now, too often, if they're not playing immediately, they're gone.

"It takes away the teaching," his friend said. "And with the portal, recruiting is not as big a deal. And outworking people is not as a big a deal. And your influence is not as great."

Not having as much influence over players is precisely why Saban did not enjoy coaching in the NFL. And it will hasten his departure from coaching all together.

Saban has also said he didn't want to be coaching as long as his distant cousin Lou Saban did. That Saban was still coaching in his early 80s. He did in 2009 at 87.

Then again, if Saban has already decided that this is indeed his last season, he can still change his mind. As decisive and great a coach that Saban has been for more than two decades, he has been indecisive when it comes to major life decisions.

Nick Saban Tends To Change His Mind

On the day he arrived at LSU after the 1999 season for his introductory press conference, he had second thoughts. He considered going back to Michigan State. When Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga offered him his head coaching job during the 2004 season, Saban could not make up his mind. He went back and forth multiple times. This was partly because he didn't like leaving so many great players at LSU for someone else to coach. Three years later, Les Miles still had more than 30 players Saban recruited and/or coached - most of whom played prominent roles in LSU winning the 2007 national title.

In truth, Saban has won a record seven national championships and a half (2003 and half of one in 2007 at LSU, 2009, '11, '12, '15, '17 and '20 at Alabama).

Saban will not be leaving nearly as many great players on Alabama's roster as he left at LSU. There is not an above average quarterback on campus, and he no longer has the line depth for which he became famous. Alabama started a transfer portal leftover Saturday at South Florida (3:30 p.m., ABC) in Tyler Buchner, who looked cold and was soon benched.

"Everybody wants to leave an organization prepared for the future," Saban's friend said. "But with what's happened with NIL and the portal, I don't think you can do that. It's more of a chance game now. You've got to give it your best and move on. He's left the greatest legacy, but you've just got to get off the merry-go-round at some point."

Alabama Coach Has A Difficult Decision

Nick Saban could change his mind two or three times before the end of this season. And if he leaves before 2024, he will miss the first 12-team playoff. That will be his best chance for one more title. But then again, he probably thought his best chance at "one more" was in 2023 with Bryce Young at quarterback.

"This is a hard thing for a man to do," Saban's friend said. "You've got to make up your mind and do it, irrespective of the results. Like all men who've worked hard, you wonder where the right balance is with life and your career. I can't tell you if it's after this season or the next season, but I hope that Nick moves on and is able to enjoy his days under less pressure."