Legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban displayed his humility after he was surprised by news of his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.

On Friday, ahead of the Cotton Bowl between Texas and Ohio State, Saban was surprised by the news on the broadcast of ESPN ‘College GameDay’. Saban retired from coaching a seven-time national champion following the 2023 season.

Upon learning of the news from Pat McAfee and the rest of his TV colleagues, Saban displayed his humble nature. The nine-time National Coach of the Year pointed to the people he surrounded himself as what elevated him to success during his time with LSU and Alabama.

“Thank you so much, but any time anything like this happens it’s because you had a lot of great people in your organization,” Saban said after being surprised with the news.

“A lot of great players, a lot of great coaches, a lot of great support staff, and they made a great team. I was happy to drive the bus, but we had some great people on it so thank you so much.”

Saban became LSU’s 31st head coach in 1999. The 73-year-old coached the Tigers to a national championship in 2003 before heading to the NFL to take over at the Miami Dolphins ahead of the 2005 season.

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In 2007, Saban assumed his position at Alabama, where he won six national championships before retiring after the 2023 season. His seven national championships are more than any other coach in college football Division I history.

Saban will become the fifth Alabama coach elected to the College Football Hall of Fame and the 27th inductee in program history. He retired with a 297-71-1 (.806) record, including a 206-29 (.877) record leading the Crimson Tide.

Saban also coached 52 first-round draft picks in his career – the most by any coach in college football history – including 47 at Alabama. In total, 133 of Saban’s players were drafted into the NFL, while he also coached four Heisman Trophy winners in his career, which is tied for the most of any coach in college football history alongside Notre Dame’s Frank Leahy.

The 2025 class will officially be inducted at a gala in Las Vegas in December 2025. The inductees will also be recognized at their respective collegiate institutions with NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes during the fall.