Nick Saban retired on Jan. 10, 2024.

Fast forward one year to Jan. 10, 2025, and the legendary Alabama football coach learned he will be part of the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame induction class.

Saban found out while taking part in the College GameDay broadcast on ESPN before the Cotton Bowl. Saban won seven national championships in his coaching career, six with Alabama football.

“Anytime anything like this happens, it’s because you had a lot of great people in your organization,” Saban said on ESPN. “A lot of great players, a lot of great coaches. A lot of support staff. And they made a great team. I was happy to drive the bus but we had some great people on it.”

No coach has won more national championships than Saban in the history of college football. That alone made him an obvious candidate for the College Football Hall of Fame.

Then add his other accolades: Over 28 seasons, Saban finished with a 297-71-1 record as a head coach. His teams at Alabama and LSU combined for 11 SEC championships, with nine at Alabama.

Saban had four Heisman Trophy winners. He produced 52 first-round NFL Draft selections, developing 47 of them at Alabama.

Saban’s half century in coaching also included stops at Toledo and Michigan State. He spent 17 years with Alabama, five with LSU, five with Michigan State and one with Toledo.

Saban and other inductees, who will be announced at a later time, will all be honored Dec. 9, 2025 in Las Vegas. Saban is also expected to be honored on campus during the fall.

“A well-deserved honor for one of the greatest coaches of all time, in any sport,” Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne posted to X. “Congratulations, Coach Saban!”

Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.