"I'm gonna pick Alabama every chance": Nick Saban couldn't resist his love for Crimson Tide as former coach vows to back Bama nation forever

Speaking at the Nick Saban Legacy Awards in Birmingham on Monday, former Alabama football head coach Nick Saban shared his views on the state of college football.

Saban wondered what late coaching legends like Bryan Collins or Bobby Bowden would think of the current situation of the sport.

“That should be the very reason that we're all very much committed to what we can do to make college football something where players have a great quality of life,” Saban said.

Saban said that people are working hard like Greg Sankey, the SEC commissioner, and Greg Byrne, the Alabama athletic director, to improve players' lives.

“So that's really, really important for young people,” Saban added. “And it's something that we're very much committed to.”

Saban ends his speech by saying that he will always be loyal to the Bama nation, even though he will miss the bonds he created with players and Alabama.

“I have a tremendous amount of pride in (coaching),” Saban said. “It's something I'm going to miss, those relationships with players. But we are Alabama. So, all you Alabama folks out there, we're Alabama. And I'm going to take Alabama every chance I get.”

Nick Saban will be part of Alabama as an adviser

Greg Byrne, the AD of Alabama, confirmed that Saban will still be a part of UA as an adviser. Saban, who stepped down as the head coach of Bama on Jan. 10 after 17 seasons, shared his feelings about his role:

"That's our home, that's our family, it's our community," he said. "We're going to continue to do things to continue to help the community every way we can.”

Saban said the coaches know they can reach out to him, and mentioned his ongoing communication with head coach Kalen DeBoer and the defensive coordinator, Kane Wommack.

“I talk to Kalen every now and then. I talk to the defensive coordinator (Kane Wommack) every now and then,” Saban said. “He's going to come over and meet me this week sometime. We're around.”

Nick Saban will be part of the ESPN 'College GameDay' team starting in 2024, covering the college football scene every week.

The Crimson Tide has a busy schedule in 2024, with some of the highlights being a Week 3 game at Wisconsin from the Big Ten; a Week 5 showdown with Georgia, who might be the SEC favorite; a Week 8 clash at Tennessee; a Week 13 matchup at Oklahoma; and, of course, the Iron Bowl finale in Tuscaloosa.