Deion Sanders knows the college football world will miss Nick Saban. He also knows there’s no point disputing Saban’s status as the “GOAT” in college football.

Wednesday evening, stunning news broke that the longtime head coach at Alabama was retiring and had informed the Crimson Tide players of his decision. The reaction was understandably shocked as Saban will leave the sport with 7 national titles and one of the greatest legacies football has ever seen.

In response, Coach Prime admitted he did not expect Saban’s retirement to come quite this soon. He went on to acknowledge the game has changed in a way “that it chased the GOAT away” while encouraging everyone in college football to reflect on the state of the game.

“WOW! College Football just lost the GOAT to retirement. WOW! I knew it would happen 1 day soon but not this soon,” wrote Sanders. “The game has changed so much that it chased the GOAT away. College football let’s hold up our mirrors and say HONESTLY what u see.”

The game has undeniably changed, and Saban was not shy about speaking his mind on the state of college football. However, it’s also worth acknowledging Saban is 72 years old and among the oldest coaches in the sport.

Regardless of what led to the decision, Alabama’s post-Saban path will be the story of college football’s offseason.