Nick Saban discusses what he misses most about coaching college football

Nick Saban has been out of the coaching world for more than a year now and is loving life in his second season as part of the coverage of college football rather than part of the play on the field.

Such a lifestyle allows Saban to pop on The Pat McAfee Show on a Friday afternoon aheadnof a huge Saturday CFB slate, and dressed in a sharp maroon blazer. He and McAfee riffed on various college football topics, including the controversial QB decision at Colorado, before Saban was asked by another member of the show if he misses coaching.

"I miss the relationships with the players, development, and I love seeing guys give themselves a better chance to be successful in life because of the leadership and influence you might have had on them," Saban explained.

I mean, that's awesome stuff from a coaching legend. It's not the championships or great players that he necessarily misses most, but rather, the day-to-day process of building relationships, and in turn, helping build those kids into better adults. It's the noble approach to such a profession, and answers like these, that are genuine, make Nick Saban such a lovable coach.

However, there are aspects of college football which Saban did not love, and he's not too disappointed with his daily routine right now after decades of college football chaos.

"I miss that a little bit, but it's a better quality of life, station of my life, not to have to have a 125 children," Saban joked to McAfee. "You got one you're worried about," he added in reference to McAfee's daughter. "

Before finishing off his response, Nick Saban pulled back the curtain to explain why managing 100+ teenage or college-aged dudes is a terribly difficult challenge.

"Alright, 125 guys running around on a campus, 60% female, with no curfew," Saban pointed out. "It's a hard thing."

Nick Saban has always emphasized the importance of kids keeping their focus on point while playing college football, and at a place like Alabama, he'd admit, it's not an easy task to wrangle a bunch of kids who don't have the same contricting rules and regulations as the NFL.

But that's the novelty of Nick Saban, that he was able to operate high-level concepts with a high level of execution using 18-22 year-olds. Perhaps he's relieved to not have to manage the circus any longer, but of course, he truly values those relationships he built.