How long will Nick Saban coach? That was the first question he was asked at SEC Media Days
Published:
One of the first things Nick Saban said during his opening monologue at SEC Media Days from Atlanta was don’t ask him about Alabama’s ongoing quarterback competition. The way Saban sees it, Tua Tagovailoa was hurt for the majority of the spring and Jalen Hurts has done nothing to hurt himself this offseason, so there’s really no new information to go off in regards to the competition.
With the No. 1 topic off the board for Saban, the reporters present moved on to the No. 2 topic on the list — how long do you plan on coaching?
When told that former Florida and South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier is the only SEC coach to perform the job in the league into his 70’s — Saban is currently 66 and will turn 67 in the coming season — the Alabama coach had a clever response. To get the full context, Saban was also asked if the decision to keep coaching would be left up to his wife, Ms. Terry.
“Well, let me say this: Mrs. Terry does not want me at home. I can tell you that. She doesn’t care if I’m 60, 70, or 80. So she’s looking for something for me to do,” Saban answered.
That’s a glorious response right there and one most married couples can likely relate with.
Saban then answered the concerns about his eventual retirement by giving a more thoughtful response.
“Now, I really enjoy what I’m doing right now, and as long as I’m healthy and I can do it, I’m going to continue to do it and not worry about any numbers or what my age is or anything like that. But I would not want to be in the position where I ever rode the program down because I wasn’t capable of making a contribution that would be positive to the success of the program,” Saban said from the podium.
“So I’m going to continue to do this for as long as I feel like I can make a positive contribution and as long as I feel healthy enough to do it. And, you know, our Noontime basketball team was undefeated again this year, so that’s always an indicator to me that I can make it through another season.”
Apparently, if Saban still has game, he’ll stick to coaching the Crimson Tide.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
