"Never sell the lake house": When Nick Saban reflected on coaching years' strain on family life

Nick Saban is experiencing success in his post-career after coaching in college football. He retired after 17 seasons as the Alabama Crimson Tide coach last year. He's enjoying his new role as a college football analyst for ESPN and a panelist on College GameDay. Saban can also spend time with his family, as he no longer calls plays for "The Tide."

Fans may recall when the former coach reflected on how coaching strained his family life. In 2016, he spoke with Tim Tebow and Marty Smith about why it was important to keep his lake house.

"One thing about it is, you know, we move around a lot in the coaching profession. Family memories are really important to your children, and the one thing they always say is never sell the lake house," said Saban (0:53 onwards).

"If there's anything I like to tell everybody out there that, you know, we're all so worried about getting ahead and how many games you are going to win and all that, but when you get my age and at this station, you know, you look back, and you say I wish we would have spent more time doing that and why didn't we film that because now, you know, how can we capture that because you can't relive it."

Saban added that he realized how precious family moments were as he got older and hoped others would learn from his experience.

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Nick Saban's first year after retirement as coach

Nick Saban's transition from coach to analyst was well-received by fans and peers during his first season at College GameDay. He demonstrated his knowledge of the game while allowing fans to see more of his personality when talking with his co-hosts like Pat McAfee.

The former coach also shared the spotlight with his wife, Terry Saban. One of the highlights for fans during his first year on the show was when Terry confronted Nick about picking the UCF Knights to beat the Colorado Buffaloes on September 28.

His wife was surprised that Saban didn't believe his longtime friend Deion Sanders couldn't win, and she was correct. The Buffaloes beat the Knights 48-21, their fourth win of the season.

Nick Saban seems to be having fun covering College Football and being able to spend more time with at home. He will achieve his final coaching milestone on Dec. 9 when he gets inducted into the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame.