Nike's powerful farewell ad for Nick Saban reflects long-haunted dilemma of SEC coaches: "College football world hasn't slept this well in years"
Nick Saban had a long and successful career as a football coach. The Alabama legend stepped down as the head coach of the Crimson Tide on Wednesday, leaving the college football world in shock. Sporting giant Nike came out with a powerful advertisement to bid farewell to the legendary college football coach after his stellar 50-year-long career ended.
The Nike advert didn't just pay tribute to Saban, but it also brought out a long dilemma of the SEC coaches. Seven national titles speak for themselves as far as his reputation is concerned. Finally, every college football coach is somehow a little less worried.
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Here is the Nike advert that paid tribute to the Alabama Crimson Tide legend:
“The college football world hasn't slept this well in years,” the advert. said.
Saban's teams have dominated the SEC in the last two decades. He coached the LSU Tigers to a national championship title in 2003 and made them into a modern powerhouse. After a brief stint in the NFL, he returned to college football and took Alabama to never seen before heights in his 17 years since 2007. He never saw a losing record as a head coach and won six national titles at Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide went 148-30 in the SEC. And no conference opponent has a winning streak against him at the time of his retirement. Furthermore, he is second to just Bear Bryant in the number of conference wins. Such was his dominance in the SEC.
Also read: Why did Nick Saban retire? Alabama HC breaks silence on retirement decision
How Tua Tagovailoa reacted to Nick Saban's retirement news
Nick Saban's former quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was surprised to hear of his former head coach’s retirement. The latest episode of HBO’s "Hard Knocks" captured his reaction. Tagovailoa even said that it didn't even feel real to him.
Tagovailoa led Saban’s boys to a national title after being put in during the second half of the championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2017 season. The then-freshman replaced Jalen Hurts and led the team to come back and win, claiming the offensive MVP of the game in the process.
Washington Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer has been named Saban's replacement going forward. He led the Huskies to the CFP national championship game in the just concluded 2023 season and finished runners-up to the Michigan Wolverines. Will he be able to fill the void? Time will tell.
Also read: $100 million commitment for Kalen DeBoer to Alabama nation makes it one of the most expensive buyouts in college football history