As Nick Saban pursues his ninth SEC championship, he faced a question about how much he’ll longer he will keep coaching.

At Thursday’s SEC Championship Game press conference, the first question asked for the Alabama head coach was about retirement.

Here’s the full Q&A from the official transcript:

Q. A bigger picture question. You’re a guy who stays focused on the here and now, but you’re the same age as Bear Bryant was when he retired. Have you given any thought to how long you want to do this? What kind of keeps you going at age 69 when a lot of guys can call it a career?

NICK SABAN: Well, I’m excited about the opportunity that we have in front of us. Obviously, I love doing what I do and want to continue to do it for as long as I feel like I can contribute in a positive way to the program. That’s about the only plan I have for the future.

We got a lot of good players here. We try to create a lot of value for our players here so they have a better opportunity to be successful in the future. It’s very self-gratifying.

If I thought that my presence here was not something that was a positive for the University of Alabama or with the program, with the players, then I’d say it would be time not to do it anymore.

Much of the speculation surrounding Saban’s retirement has centered on another national championship. Saban has won six titles in his tenures at LSU (1) and Alabama (5). His current Crimson Tide squad looks well-equipped to get No. 6.

After Wednesday’s start to the Early Signing Period in which Alabama inked a No. 1 class, it’s safe to assume the rest of the SEC would like to see Saban call it a day.