Alabama fans lined the streets on Wednesday night to wave goodbye to Nick Saban as he drove away from the Alabama football facility for the last time, according to a video posted on Twitter/X.

Watch emotional Alabama fans wave goodbye to Coach Saban

The legendary football coach announced his surprise retirement, leaving Crimson Tide fans in shock and leaving an unfillable hole in college football. His daughter, Kristen, summed it up as a “bittersweet moment” on her Instagram story.

Saban won six national championships in 17 seasons in Tuscaloosa, dominating the best conference in college football and changing the sport in the process.

Why did Nick Saban retire?

 

“It is not just about how many games we won and lost, but it’s about the legacy and how we went about it,” Saban said in a statement. “We always tried to do it the right way.”

“The goal was always to help players create more value for their future, be the best player they could be and be more successful in life because they were part of the program. Hopefully, we have done that, and we will always consider Alabama our home.”

Video showed him allegedly leaving the team facility for the final time, just after he broke the news to the players in a 5 p.m. meeting, and minutes before it rocked the rest of the sports world.

The reason for his retirement are not totally clear, but he got to drive off into the sunset on his own terms.

Williams, a two-time “Mr. Football” honoree in the state of Alabama, nearly led Saraland to a Class 6A State Championship in 2023. He is arguably the top player in the state and one of the top athletes in the nation. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama’s head football coach, got Williams to recommit and sign to the Crimson Tide, but JaMarcus Shephard is the coach that won his heart in recruiting. Shephard, an assistant head coach, co-offensive coordinator, and receivers coach for the Tide, paid Williams the ultimate compliment during an interview with Ryan Fowler of The Game via Tide 100.9 FM.

He called Williams an ‘elite human being‘ as a 17-year-old coming to Alabama to compete. Shephard sees marquee greatness in a potential superstar talent.

“One of the best compliments I can give to him is I know he’s been highly recruited, but a lot of people see all the skill sets, football skill sets he brings to the table, but he’s as elite as a human being to this point as he is as a football player,” Shephard said about Williams at the 8:09 mark in his interview with Fowler. “That is the best compliment I can say to this young man. He is somebody that we immediately gravitated toward each other. We felt each other’s energy, knew that we could work well together, he’s a sponge. He is dialed in, he is focused, he wants to be coached at a high level.”