Nick Saban Reveals Question He Was Constantly Asked Before Retiring

Nick Saban says he had to often face one question prior to retiring.

The legendary Alabama coach rode off into the sunset after this past season. He finished his time in college football with seven national titles (six in Tuscaloosa) and is without question the most accomplished coach in the history of the sport.

He's now pulling back the curtain on what life was like shortly before retirement. It turns out a lot of people had the same question for him.

Nick Saban says he was often asked how long he'd be around.

Given the fact Saban will turn 73 during this upcoming season, it's not hard to imagine what people wanted to know:

How much gas did he have left in the tank?

Turns out he was often asked prior to retiring from Alabama. Saban said the following during a Monday interview with Paul Finebaum, according to On3:

"We just adapted to (NIL). We actually won when we had to deal with name, image and likeness. I wish we’d have won the Playoff game this year. Lost it in overtime. We had a good team coming back, but I didn’t want to ride the program down. I tried to hire three coaches and every one of them wanted to know how long I was gonna be there at the end of the season. Every recruit wanted to know how long you’re gonna be here. When you’re 72 years old, it’s hard to say, ‘I’m gonna be here for the next four years.’ But the question I had for a lot of people is, ‘How long are you gonna be here?'"

Well, it turns out the answer for how much longer Nick Saban was going to be around was not very long at all. He was retired and gone shortly after Michigan beat the Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

People asking him that question didn't have to wait long to get an answer. I imagine that Saban probably grew pretty tired of being asked over and over again by coaches and recruits how much longer he'd be in Tuscaloosa.

Of course, you can't blame the recruits or coaches for asking. The last thing you want to do is sign with a team and then have the head coach retire, but it should have been obvious to anyone paying attention during this past year that Saban was on his last leg.

Nick Saban reveals the question he was often asked prior to retiring. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Now, he gets to enjoy a little rest and relaxation in retirement - if such a thing even exists for a guy like Saban. Let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.