“I started building a document”: Greg Byrne reveals what it was like trying to find $80M worth Nick Saban’s replacement

Alabama Crimson Tide athletic director Greg Byrne revealed his plan to replace Nick Saban as the coach after the legendary figure retired. Saban, who has a net worth of $80 million according to Celebrity Net Worth, was the coach of Alabama from 2007 until 2023.

When Byrne was named the Crimson Tide's athletic director, he says one of his first goals was to create a plan and pathway to replace Saban once he decided to retire.

"From the day I got hired here, I got asked 9000 times by the media, what's it like to be the guy to hire Nick Saban's replacement," Byrne said.

"That was an easy answer. We were gonna kick that can as far down the road as we can. But, at the same time, I started building a document that would lay out the plan. And from the second Coach Saban would retire, it gave us an outline in a way to start moving when the time would come."

Saban retired after the 2023 season when Alabama lost to Michigan in the Rose Bowl. After retiring, Byrne hired Kalen DeBoer to replace Saban as the head coach of Alabama.

Saban finished his career going 201-29 as the head coach of Alabama and won six national titles with the Crimson Tide.

Greg Byrne confident Kalen DeBoer was the right hire to replace Nick Saban

Greg Byrne has no doubts Kalen DeBoer was the right hire to be the Alabama Crimson Tide head coach.

DeBoer and Alabama had a disappointing season as they failed to make the playoffs, but the Crimson Tide AD has full confidence in DeBoer.

“Not a bit,” Byrne said on The Paul Finebaum Show when asked if anything changed his opinion on the DeBoer hire, via On3. “Listen, you’ve got to have something to talk about, right? When you’re on top, people are going to come after you all the time – it doesn’t matter if it’s us, whatever organization you want to talk about.

"It’s a nice position to be in, right? Do we have opportunities to get better? Yep, we do. Every year, every sport I’ve been here and been a part of, we’ve had opportunities to get better during the course of the season."

DeBoer went 9-4 in his first season and lost their Bowl game to Michigan. DeBoer and Alabama will open its 2025 college football season on August 30 against FSU.