Nick Saban shares advice for his replacement at Alabama

Nick Saban has to know that he's leaving some incredibly big shoes to fill at Alabama.

He's a living legend and arguably the greatest college coach to ever do it. There's even a case to be made that he's one of the greatest coaches of all time – regardless of sport.

Saban retires after a 28-year stint as a college football head coach that saw him rack up an astounding 297-71-1 record with seven national championships to boot. An impressive 206 wins and six of those national titles came at Alabama.

He made the Crimson Tide what they are, but Saban was clear when talking to ESPN’s Rece Davis that the next head coach at Alabama will have plenty of support around him.

Saban's advice?

Take advantage of that.

“I think there is a great team of people here. We get great cooperation in the University community. We’ve had great graduation rates," Saban said (h/t On3). "We’ve got really good personal development programs and great people who help guide players in a way that they have a better chance of being successful.

“We’ve done a really good job of developing players and we’ve had a lot of really good coaches,” he continued. “And we’ve had a lot of really good players. I think it’s because we have a team of people who are dedicated to creating value to players.”

Saban is right that it's Alabama's value to players that really put the Tide head and shoulders above the competition. Year-in and year-out, Saban has landed the top recruits in the country, players who would be instant starters anywhere else, but went to Alabama and put in their time as underclassmen bench players just for the opportunity to win a championship. 

Crimson Tide players also know their chances of making it to the NFL are much greater at Alabama compared to most other schools. 

There have been 16 NFL drafts during Saban's tenure at Alabama, with 124 former Crimson Tide players selected. That's a list that includes Julio Jones, Mark Ingram, Amari Cooper, Jonathan Allen, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Quinnen Williams, Josh Jacobs, Tua Tagovailoa, Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith, Patrick Surtain II, Najee Harris, Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr. among many others.