Alabama Draft Prospects Give Thoughts on Nick Saban's Retirement
INDIANAPOLIS — Chris Braswell thought it was a joke when he saw the tweet. When he found out that legendary coach Nick Saban was actually retiring though, he was just as shocked as anybody else.
"I was very shocked," Brasswell said Wednesday. "I thought he was going to coach until the wheels fell off."
Jaylen Key, who played for Alabama last season after transferring from UAB, was also caught off-guard by the news.
"I was definitely shocked. I feel like everybody shocked," Key said. "If you weren't, something wrong with you."
Although Braswell was thrown for a loop, he nor his former teammates Dallas Turner and Justin Eboigbe were confused why Saban made the decision. The three spoke about their coach's retirement in Indianapolis at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.
"I feel like he mostly realized he can't give his full go, it was time for him to step away," Eboigbe said. "He's been doing it for a long time. (He) realized there's a lot more than football, it's family and as you get older you become more appreciative of things so nobody can fault him for his decision."
Eboigbe recognized the legendary legacy that Saban has when mentioning that that Saban's historic run would eventually come to an end.
"All good things have to come to an end, I mean I'm pretty sure people were the same way when the Golden Girls ended," Eboigbe said. "I was shocked. ... But at the end of the day, Alabama is a factory. It's going to keep pushing if (it) holds on to the values he instilled while he was there."
Turner understood the emotional reactions many fans and players alike had to the sudden news.
"It kinda hurt a lot of people's hearts because a lot of people think you can coach college football forever but you really can't" Turner said. "I feel like he opened up a lot of opportunities, touched a lot of hearts, a lot of minds as well."
Many wondered after the news broke whether there was any changes in Saban's behavior in his final years that may have been indications that he was preparing to retire. Turner noticed some changes since he joined Alabama in 2021.
"Stuff from my freshman year to junior year kinda changed a little," Turner said. "He cracked a lot more jokes. It started to be more player-led. It was always player-led since he's been there but you could tell the players really had a lot of say and he was a lot more open to ideas and what the players had to say."
Braswell, however, didn't notice any changes in Saban's behavior.
"Not really, I thought he was the same coach," Braswell said. "I mean sometimes Dallas sees things I don't see but I just thought he was (behaving normally). I didn't think he was going to retire."
The impact Saban had on his players reaches far beyond football. When Eboigbe was asked about the biggest lesson in life that Saban taught him, he mentioned the need to improve each day.
"Each and every day, you have a chance to get better or get worse, you're never going to stay the same," Eboigbe said. "What you make of each day is what you make of it."
As Turner put it, Saban touched the hearts and minds of many. On the field, his legacy in college football is nearly untouchable.
"The legacy he left at Alabama, I don't think no other coach could do it," Turner said.
