Nick Saban to be Honored During Alabama-Vanderbilt Matchup

Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban will be honored by the National Football Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.

The ESPN College GameDay analyst will be recognized during the first quarter of Alabama's home matchup against Vanderbilt, as he'll be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday, Dec. 9 at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

“Nick Saban set the modern standard for coaching excellence, building dynasties defined by discipline, preparation, and unmatched success while earning his place as one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game,” said Steve Hatchell, President and CEO, National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame, Inc., in a statement. “His induction solidifies the model of leadership and sustained greatness in college football.”

Saban was hired by the University of Alabama in 2007 and has led the Crimson Tide program to six National Championships (2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2020) and 11 Southeastern Conference titles. He oversaw the program's first four Heisman Trophy winners in Mark Ingram, Derrick Henry, DeVonta Smith and Bryce Young.

On Jan. 10, he retired from coaching with a college record of 292-71-1 with 201 of those victories coming at the University of Alabama. The 73-year-old was known as a prolific recruiter, having gone 16 consecutive seasons with a top-five recruiting class according to 247Sports. Saban produced 47 NFL first-round draft picks during his tenure at the Capstone after no players were drafted at all from the program he initially took over in 2007.

Saban won a college football record 100 straight games vs. unranked opponents for 14 years. Ranked teams fall to those outside of the top-25 on a weekly basis, but Saban had nothing to do with it.

One of Alabama's worst losses came at the hands of Louisiana-Monroe, who defeated the Crimson Tide in Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2007. That clearly lit a spark and that flame didn't go out until October 9, 2021, when Saban and company fell to Texas A&M 41-38 on the road at night.

Overall, Saban was 123-4 overall against unranked opponents during his Crimson Tide tenure. In terms of the streak, Florida head coach Steve Spurrier is No. 2 as the Gators had 73 consecutive wins against unranked opponents from 1990-2000.

As previously stated, Saban will be honored during the first quarter of Saturday's matchup. Kickoff between No. 10 Alabama and No. 16 Vanderbilt in Bryant-Denny Stadium is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC.