As an LSU fan I hated that Saban won us a National Title and left for the NFL. Hated him even more when he came back to the SEC to coach at Alabama. The hatred grew deeper when he turned Alabama into a perennial powerhouse and always seemed to have a leg up on the National recruiting and my Tigers. The fact that he had LSU's number for so many years including that 8 year drought made my blood boil.

But at the end of the day you had to tip your hat to him. He will go down as the Greatest Coach of my generation and possibly the G.O.A.T

He turned a bitter a normal conference foe in Alabama into a fierce rivalry for the past 16 years with so many great games. The November matchup with the Tide always falls on or around my birthday. So many exhausted, heart stopping, anxiety filled nights of rage and jubilation. Those November nights won't be the same without Saban on the sidelines.

Like him or hate him it's hard not to respect him. He was a staple of college football for so long and it's kinda bittersweet to see him go. College football just won't be the same.

Thank you for the memories Coach.

This post was edited on 1/10/24 at 10:36 pm