Nick Saban didn’t know it was coming. The former Alabama football The head coach worked Friday night ahead of the College Football Playoff’s Cotton Bowl semifinal, in his job as an analyst for ESPN’s College Gameday.
His teammates in the program were aware of Saban’s election as part of the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame class. The man who won six national championships in Tuscaloosa was not.
“When did that happen?” Saban asked after Rece Davis informed him of the news, one year to the day after his retirement as a trainer. “I knew nothing about it.”
The former coach grinned and shook hands with his ESPN colleagues. Pat McAfee presented him with a football recognizing the achievement.
Saban then gave a short speech and diverted the awards, as was his custom throughout his career.
“Thank you so much,” Saban said. “But when something like this happens, it’s because you had a lot of great people in your organization. A lot of great players, a lot of great coaches, a lot of support staff and they made a great team. And I was happy to drive the bus, but we had some great people on it, so thank you very much.”
According to the National Football Foundation, the rest of the Hall of Fame class will be announced on January 15. Saban and his Class of 2025 classmates will be inducted Dec. 9 in Las Vegas.
