Kirk Herbstreit took to social media to react to the recently announced retirement of Alabama head coach Nick Saban.

Herbstreit expressed his respect for the longtime Alabama head coach, thanking him for everything that he has brought to college football.

“Wow!!” Herbstreit wrote. “Surprised but not shocked by Coach Saban stepping down. Best to ever do it. From 2008-2023 he compiled a record of 199-16!!!! That’s an average of 12 wins in the last 16 seasons. As consistent and good as the sport has ever seen! Thank you coach for all you put into the great sport of CFB! Excited to see what’s next!”

Herbstreit has been on the call for each of Saban’s six national titles that he has won at Alabama, as well as countless marquee games over the course of Saban’s career.

There are a plethora of rumors swirling about Saban potentially joining Herbstreit and the rest of the College Gameday crew as a member of the cast now that he is retired. Many believe that he could take over the spot that Lee Corso currently holds on the show, as the 88-year-old may be set for retirement in the near future. Saban has already made a handful of appearances on the show and has generally received rave reviews for his analysis and charisma.

How did Alabama land Nick Saban back in 2007? Check out Saturday Down South’s amazing “38 Days” feature on how the Tide pulled off the heist that changed college football forever.