Nick Saban isn’t finished with football just yet. The legendary head coach will be part of ESPN’s 2025 NFL Draft coverage, joining Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Field Yates, Laura Rutledge, and Pete Thamel on set. ESPN’s coverage will also simulcast on ABC.
Revisiting Nick Saban’s Playing Days
Before becoming one of the most iconic coaches in college football history, Nick Saban was a quarterback at Monongah High School in West Virginia, where he led the team to a state championship in 1968.
He later transitioned to defensive back at Kent State University, where he also earned a bachelor’s degree in business and a master’s in sports administration. His playing career concluded after college.
Nick Saban’s Early Coaching Career
While Saban is making waves as a media analyst, newer football fans may not fully grasp the legacy he built as a coach.
After graduating, Saban believed he was finished with football. However, his college coach, Don James, convinced him to stay at Kent State as a graduate assistant while his wife, Terry, completed her degree. That opportunity launched what would become a legendary coaching career.
Saban began as an assistant at Syracuse, West Virginia, Ohio State, and Michigan State, before stepping into the NFL as a defensive backs coach with the Houston Oilers.
His first head coaching job came in 1990 at Toledo, where he led the Rockets to a 9–2 record. That performance caught the eye of Cleveland Browns head coach Bill Belichick, who hired Saban as his defensive coordinator. During Saban’s four-year stint in Cleveland, the Browns’ defense ranked first in the NFL in points allowed in 1994.
After the 1994 season, Saban returned to college football as head coach at Michigan State. He led the Spartans for five seasons before taking the top job at LSU. During his five-year tenure there, he compiled a 48–12 record, culminating in a national championship in 2003 when the No. 2 LSU Tigers defeated top-ranked Oklahoma.
Saban then returned to the NFL as head coach of the Miami Dolphins. His time in Miami, however, was less successful, ending with a 15–17 record over two seasons.
Building Powerhouse Program at Alabama
On January 3, 2007, Saban accepted the head coaching position at Alabama—a decision that would cement his legacy as arguably the greatest college football coach of all time.
Though his first season ended at 7–6, Alabama quickly became a powerhouse. The Crimson Tide went undefeated in 2009, capturing Saban’s first national title with the team. They repeated as champions in 2011 and 2012.
When the College Football Playoff format was introduced, Alabama remained dominant, winning titles in 2015, 2017, and 2020. Aside from a lone three-loss season in 2010, Saban’s Alabama teams never lost more than two games in a season.
With seven national championships, Saban stands as the most successful head coach in college football history.
