Alabama fans, former Alabama players, current Alabama players, and the sports world are honoring Nick Saban.
He announced his retirement from coaching the Crimson Tide on Wednesday, putting a 17-year run to an end.
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The 72-year-old won six national championships at Alabama, nine Southeastern Conference Championships, and crowned four Heisman Memorial Trophy winners. He was incredible on the field and a difference maker in the Tuscaloosa (Ala.) community.
Saban gave Alabama fans a program to be proud of, and he gave his players great memories.
Bryce Young, a University of Alabama alumnus, was on Greg McElroy’s Always College Football podcast. The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall selection of the 2023 NFL Draft shared his most hilarious memory of being coached by Saban.
.@_bryce_young shares an unforgettable Nick Saban story from his freshman year 😂
FULL conversation: https://t.co/jIjJ2Q2XAa#RollTide | #NickSaban pic.twitter.com/FvKjbm6A4r
— Always College Football (@AlwaysCFB) January 11, 2024
It was a moment in practice where Young did not have two hands on the football during a play, and Saban took a moment to coach him on how to do it right. Young got sacked in Alabama’s first game of the 2020 season against Missouri, and he fumbled the ball because it was not protected. The former five-star realized then the importance of protecting the ball. Young took Saban’s coaching to heart and it allowed him to become the first quarterback in Tide history to win the Heisman Trophy in 2021.
Saban had an impact on many people and will be missed.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
