Brent Key Says Nick Saban is the Greatest Coach of All Time

Key coached under Saban from 2016-2018
Brent Key Says Nick Saban is the Greatest Coach of All Time
Brent Key Says Nick Saban is the Greatest Coach of All Time /

The college football world is still in shock from the surprise announcement that Alabama head coach Nick Saban was going to retire. Saban had been at Alabama since 2007 and won six national championships. 

Before coming back to his alma mater, Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key worked under Nick Saban as the offensive line coach of the Crimson Tide from 2016-2018, winning a national championship in 2017. 

Many consider Saban to be the greatest college football coach of all time and among those people is Key. Key called Saban the greatest coach of all time during an appearance on 680 The Fan today:

"I don't think anyone was surprised when he said he was going to do it, just like I don't think anyone would have been surprised that he was going to keep coaching, it was just one of those things that when it happened, it was going to happen. I think more of a reflection and look back at what type of career he has had, and what he has been able to accomplish, you can argue about it, I would say he is the greatest coach of all time and how he has been able to do it and not just the people that he has affected on the football field and in the coaching world, but the amount of young men he has been able to change their lives and allow a better future for them."

Key also shared his reaction to finding out about his former boss deciding to retire:

"I was flying back from the convention and I was in the air and it just happens that we are on a place that does not have wifi of course and I hit one of those spots where service kicks in and I had about 20 text messages pop up that said, there it is, its done, can you believe it, and all of this stuff and I am like what in the world is going on and other people are wondering the same thing and that is how we got the news and we landed and I got home last night and Danielle had it on the TV recapping it and what not and this morning it kind of hit me when they were talking about it and it hit me that Nick had retired and it kind of started to settle in."

Nick Saban
Nick Saban retired as Alabama's head coach yesterday / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

While on the show, Key did give an update on when he hopes to complete his defensive staff:

"Yeah, I would not say that it is fluid, I would say it is not like water it is more like a slow can of oil just kind of dripping out... We are really settling in to what we want to do and I am excited about the staff that we are putting together, here in the next few days, we should have everything completed. I have taken my time in this thing to really get this thing right and make sure these kids have the best opportunity to win and play really good football."

Who Alabama's next coach is going to be is a mystery, but they will be in the shadow of whom many consider to be the greatest coach the sport has ever seen. 

Brent Key Shares His Reaction to Finding Out Nick Saban Retired At Alabama

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Jackson Caudell
JACKSON CAUDELL

Jackson Caudell has been covering Georgia Tech Athletics For On SI since March 2022 and the Atlanta Hawks for On SI since October 2023. Jackson is also the co-host of the Bleav in Georgia Tech podcast and he loves to bring thoughtful analysis and comprehensive coverage to everything that he does. Find him on X @jacksoncaudell