Nick Saban on Retirement 'Relationships With Players' What he Misses Most

The former Crimson Tide head coach emphasized the importance of maintianing the connection with his former players.

April 22 2024; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe shows something on his phone to / Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA

Former Alabama Crimson Tide head football coach Nick Saban was in Birmingham on Wednesday taking part in the annual Regions Tradition Pro-Am. The seven-time national champion has been enjoying retirement, playing golf across the country, appearing on ESPN for the NFL Draft and spending time with his family.

Saban coached across college and professional football for 50 years establishing himself as one of the best to ever put on a headset. He spent time with the media before teeing off at Greystone Country Club and said its not the competition, the weekly preprartion or the grind of the recruiting trail that he misses most. Instead he misses the bond he built with his players over time.

“Relationships with players. I actually played golf with Mark Ingram and Tua [Tagovailoa] had him up on Monday and we played. Those relationships that you have with players, there’s nothing that beats that. But we care about them all so we’ll continue those relationships,” said Saban on Wednesday.

The former Crimson Tide head coach has nothing but time now that he's retired to reconnect and maintain those relationships that he's built over time. He no longer has to worry about wins or losses, recruiting future players or expectations of the Alabama fan base. Saban has three more months before he's once again part of a team on ESPN's College Gameday set where he'll once again make the relationships a priority.