Nick Saban

Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze believes his teams with the Tigers and Ole Miss should have beaten Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide a few more times than they did.

"Nick is incredible, but I should have four wins against him," he told ESPN's Marty Smith on the Marty & McGee show. "... I may not have phrased that exactly (right), I don't want everybody... but we easily could have beat him a few more times."

Freeze referenced two games in particular he believed his teams should have won over Alabama.

The first was at Ole Miss in 2016, when the Rebels jumped out to a 24-3 lead in the second quarter. Alabama rallied, however, ultimately winning a 48-43 shootout.

The second was even more egregious. This past season, Auburn had Alabama on the ropes until Jalen Milroe threw a touchdown pass to Isaiah Bond on 4th-and-goal from the 31-yard-line, with just 32 seconds remaining, to seal a 27-24 win.

Freeze was asked in particular how that played impacted him:

We gotta coach better. If you're not accountable through the week in little things, it will show up on third down, it'll show up on fourth down. So, some of that fault is the culture, some of it is coaching. Maybe we didn't coach it good enough. Not winning that game sucked. It stunk. It was disappointing, hard. But at the same time, I didn't think our roster was as good as theirs and it gave me even more confidence that Auburn can return to one of the top programs in the country pretty fast because we went toe-to-toe with them and should have won the game, truthfully. So it was a mixed bag of, this is awful, but man, we can play with them.

Freeze, 54, is 89-50 in his 11 years of head coaching at Arkansas State (2011), Ole Miss (2012-16), Liberty (2019-22) and Auburn (2023). His teams have appeared in nine bowl games, winning six.

His coaching stints have been highly controversial for issues off the field. In particular, Ole Miss was sanctioned by the NCAA in 2019 for recruiting violations under Freeze and punished with a two-year postseason ban, reduced scholarships, three years of probation and 33 vacated wins between 2010-16.

He resigned from the school in 2017 after it was discovered he made a number of calls to an escort service on his university-issued cell phone during his coaching tenure.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning revealed that he never seriously considered replacing Nick Saban at Alabama.

"Nah. It was never a part of our thought process," Lanning said during an appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show (h/t On3.com's Andrew Graham).

Saban retired on Jan. 10 following a legendary career with the Crimson Tide. The team ended up hiring former Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer after Lanning confirmed his commitment to the Ducks in a post on X.

Lanning appeared to be a potential candidate to replace Saban, as he previously served on his staff as a graduate assistant during the 2015 season. He's thrived at Oregon, post a 22-5 record since he took over the program before the 2022 season.

"I've got so much respect for Coach Saban," Lanning said on Wednesday, via Graham. "And you're right. The reason I'm talking about process is because I learned that from him. So unbelievable job that he did there. But there's so much to take care of here at Oregon, that's always been our focus."

The Ducks are coming off an impressive 2023 season, finishing with 12 wins and a victory over Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl despite falling to Washington in the final Pac-12 title game.

While quarterback Bo Nix is no longer under center as Oregon prepares to navigate through the Big Ten, former Oklahoma signal-caller Dillon Gabriel will start in 2024 after he transferred to the school following a strong 2023 campaign with the Sooners.

Lanning's program is also set up for future success, as the Ducks own the seventh-ranked 2025 recruiting class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe's viral motto became the rallying cry for the Crimson Tide, and the team is now using it as the basis for a new documentary.

Alabama announced on Monday that it will premiere its "LANK" documentary this Friday, based on Milroe's "Let A Naysayer Know" saying.

Former head coach Nick Saban will be among those featured in the documentary. Saban stepped down from his position at the end of last season following 17 years at the helm and six national championships.

Alabama used the motto as motivation to bounce back from an early loss to Texas last season and earn a spot in the College Football Playoff after beating Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. Milroe also launched NIL-branded apparel with the phrase.

The Crimson Tide replaced Saban with former Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer. Milroe and company will be driven to prove their doubters wrong once again as Alabama chases another CFP berth.

The field at Alabama's Bryant-Denny Stadium has been named after legendary former football head coach Nick Saban.

Alabama's board of trustees and committee officially approved the honor, meaning the Crimson Tide will play on Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. ESPN's Chris Low first reported the news on Thursday.

A ceremony honoring Saban will be held on Sept. 7 as the Crimson Tide face off against South Florida.

Saban retired on Jan. 10 after spending 17 seasons at Alabama, winning six national championships with the school.

Saban has been recognized for his sustained success with the Crimson Tide before, as the school built a statue of him in 2011. The 72-year-old also confirmed that he would stay in Tuscaloosa and still have an office in the stadium during a Jan. 11 interview with ESPN's Rece Davis (9:00 mark).

Saban won 201 games with Alabama, earning 13 SEC championships. This included an impressive victory over Georgia in the 2023 title game, ending the Bulldogs' unbeaten streak and securing a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Saban likely won't be able to spend much time in his office during the 2024 season, as ESPN announced on Feb. 7 that he'll be joining College GameDay as an analyst.

Meanwhile, new head coach Kalen DeBoer will attempt to navigate through his first year with the Crimson Tide after he was hired as Saban's replacement on Jan. 12. Alabama should remain one of the SEC's powerhouses next season, as the school earned the No. 2 2024 recruiting class in the nation (per 247Sports).

As Saban transitions to his career as an analyst, he'll be returning to Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sep. 7 as the school reportedly honors his coaching accolades with a new field name.

Alabama offensive lineman Tyler Booker used Nick Saban's own words to shade his former coach for predicting the Crimson Tide won't play in the SEC Championship Game this season.

Speaking to reporters at SEC media days, Booker addressed Saban's forecast for the 2024 campaign.

"He always used to say, 'Don't let some guy that lives in their mom's basement determine how you feel.' So I'm not gonna let some guy who plays golf all day determine how I feel," Booker said.

Now an analyst for ESPN, Saban appeared on Monday's episode of SEC Now and predicted Georgia will play Texas for the SEC title in December.

Saban did make sure to point out that Alabama is capable of getting to Atlanta if it can overcome some question marks in the secondary.

"I really like Texas," Saban said (h/t Kipp Adams of 247Sports). "I think Georgia's got a really good team, but I believe in our Alabama team, too. I believe in Jalen Milroe. I just think the question marks in the secondary... until those get resolved, it's hard to sort of jump on that bandwagon."

The Crimson Tide lost their top two cornerbacks from last season with Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.

There would seem to be very little risk in predicting Georgia to reach the SEC title game. The Bulldogs have played for the conference title in each of the past three seasons and six times in the last seven years.

Texas is coming off an appearance in the College Football Playoff last year, but that was as a member of the Big 12. It will be interesting to see how much different the Longhorns fare against SEC competition for the entire season.

The Longhorns' conference schedule includes matchups with Oklahoma, Georgia and Texas A&M. They also have a non-conference road game against Michigan on Sept. 7.

It is refreshing to see Saban, who was not afraid to go after the media for making preseason predictions when he was coaching, have to be on the other side of things now that he is working as a television analyst.

Now going into his junior season, Booker clearly took some lessons from his former head coach about how to handle things when someone makes a prediction about his team that he doesn't agree with.

Former Alabama head football coach Nick Saban is enjoying a summer that isn't as busy compared to his days with the Crimson Tide.

Saban joked about the differences with his current life following his retirement on Jan. 10 compared to his 17 seasons in Tuscaloosa during a Monday appearance on SportsCenter.

"I'm not in a hurry," Saban said (5:40 mark). "I spent 50 years of my life being in a hurry. Stressful situations, make decisions, go see the next recruit, get ready for the next practice, and all of a sudden you don't have to do that. I didn't even know I was in a hurry for 50 years. The stress level is not the same. It's very enjoyable."

The 72-year-old retired at the end of his team's 2023 campaign, ending a legendary head coaching career. Saban won seven national championships and compiled a record of 292-71-1 in 28 seasons with Alabama, LSU, Michigan State, and Toledo.

He also spent six years in the NFL, serving as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins and defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns.

The Crimson Tide will attempt to maintain their status as one of the SEC's top teams and defend their 2023 conference title under new head coach Kalen DeBoer, who was hired on Jan. 12 after two successful seasons with Washington.

As for Saban, he'll still be part of the college football world after ESPN announced that he'll be joining College GameDay as an analyst beginning with the 2024 season.

Legendary former Alabama head coach Nick Saban doesn't foresee Texas at the top of the SEC in 2024 following the team's move from the Big 12.

"What kind of tickles me is all these people asking these questions about how Texas always ran the conference they were in," Saban said on SEC Now on Monday (h/t On3.com). "They're not gonna run the SEC."

The Longhorns defeated Oklahoma State in the 2023 Big 12 title game before falling to Washington in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff.

Texas played against one SEC opponent in 2023, defeating Saban and the Crimson Tide on Sep. 9. Alabama held a 16-13 edge through three quarters before the Longhorns pulled away by scoring 21 points in the fourth and emerging with a 34-24 win.

Ahead of the 2024 season, Texas and Oklahoma both moved to the SEC from the Big 12. Saban won't be patrolling the sidelines during the next matchup between the Longhorns and the Crimson Tide, as he retired on Jan. 10 with seven national championships under his belt.

Still, the SEC should present a challenge for Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian after five teams in the conference recorded at least 10 wins last season.

While Saban doesn't believe that the Longhorns will end the season at the top of the SEC standings, Sarkisian's team should still be successful after coming off a 12-2 campaign. Starting quarterback Quinn Ewers is also returning after racking up 3,479 pass yards and 22 touchdowns compared to just six interceptions as a sophomore.

Texas already has a strong quarterback plan in place when Ewers eventually leaves with Arch Manning, the No. 1 recruit in the 2023 class, still on the roster (per 247Sports). The team will also be adding the sixth-best 2024 recruiting class in the nation, via 247Sports' Composite rankings.

Sarkisian, Ewers and the rest of the Longhorns will attempt to prove Saban wrong during this upcoming season.

As Alabama's head football coach, Nick Saban was used to having carte blanche to go essentially anywhere he wanted unchecked.

As a member of the media, Saban is learning that isn't the case.

The retired coach said he was stopped at SEC media days on Monday for failing to have his credentials.

"I've never worn a credential in my life. Was always, for 17 years, able to get into SEC media day without a credential. I had to go back to the room today to get my credential to get in," Saban said Monday on Get Up (8:35 mark).

Saban retired from coaching after the 2023 season after one of the greatest careers in college football history. He went 291-71-1 in 28 seasons as a head coach, with the last 17 coming at Alabama. The Crimson Tide won six national titles under Saban's stewardship, giving him a record seven overall championships.

In his last 10 seasons at Alabama, Saban's teams finished outside the Top Five just once. He finished outside the Top 10 one time in 16 seasons—his first as he was taking over a program in desperate need of a rebuild.

Saban has quickly found his footing in media since signing with ESPN. He will join the College GameDay table starting this season and will make regular appearances on The Pat McAfee Show and other ESPN platforms.

It's safe to say Saban will keep himself as far away as possible from the Alabama program, as he tries to allow Kalen DeBoer ample time to make the program his own.