re: Saban sees the writing on the wall

I think it’s a simple as an older coach not wanting to deal with the current landscape of NIL+transfer portal. Something that has created perpetual “free agency”. It’s the same reason why guys like Coach K and Roy Williams retired probably a few years earlier than they wanted to.

Think about being a 72 year old multi-millionaire. One of, if not the most accomplished coach in the history of your sport, constantly getting leverage by dumb 19 year old kids and their “hanger on” families. That’s the reality today.

You spend multiple years recruiting a kid out of HS. You get him the NIL deal he’s demanding to play for you. He’s a backup in year one, but you’re counting on developing him while he serves as depth. Then he comes to you and says he wants more money or he’s leaving. If you cave to the demand, now his teammates will do the same thing. Then you have to give the starter a “raise” because he can’t make less than the backup. And it goes on, and on, and on.

Saban probably didn’t 100% want to retire. He just didn’t want to play the NIL game anymore. Frankly, I don’t blame him. He has nothing to prove/gain by doing so.