How many years does Nick Saban have left?

quote:

---

At some point, one of college football's greatest coaches of all-time will walk away from the sideline and call it quits on a brilliant career. When that day comes for six-time national champion Nick Saban is something no one knows, however.

During a recent interview with 247Sports analyst Kevin Boilard, BamaOnline's Travis Reier said Saban is continuing his ascent as the nation's most dominant coach, notably on the recruiting trail where Alabama has signed America's top class seven times in the last eight years.

Alabama has won five national titles since 2009 under his watch, one short of eclipsing Paul 'Bear' Bryant's all-time mark. With that in mind, how much longer will Saban coach in Tuscaloosa?

“It’s a reasonable question (since) this is a guy who is going to turn 67 years old during the Crimson Tide’s bye week in the 2018 season," Reier says. “Unfortunately for opponents of the Crimson Tide, he’s showing no signs of slowing down. He hasn’t won fewer than 11 games in any of the last eight seasons. He’s revamped that coaching staff and right now the Crimson Tide with 20 commitments for the 2019 cycle, sits atop the Composite 247Sports rankings.

"Those are some areas I’d look (at) first and foremost. He seems reinvigorated by this narrative on the recruiting trail especially that he’s nearing the end of an illustrious career. What we’re seeing though in recruiting and on the field speaks to something otherwise."

In a recent interview with USA Today, Saban wasn't afraid to give a detailed answer on his future.

"I enjoy what I’m doing," he said. "And I don’t have some — I mean, what scares me more than to continue to coach is, what do you do if you don’t? I mean, I really enjoy what I’m doing, I enjoy the relationships with the players, I enjoy the competition and challenges of trying to maintain a high level of organization. I’ve been a part of a team for God knows how many years, since I was nine years old and been the leader of a team for what, probably 20-something years now.

"I get a lot of positive self-gratification for it, the relationships, to see the players graduate, do better. To have Ha Ha (Clinton-Dix) and Amari Cooper and Derrick Henry come back to graduate — I mean there’s just so many good things that happen, because you know it’s not necessarily how you live your life, but it’s what significance did your life have on other people? This is a great venue to help and do that. And just to say well, I’m gonna quit when I feel great about doing it is, I don’t get that.

"I mean, it doesn’t make sense to me. Now, I will say this: If I wasn’t healthy enough to do it and feel like I was doing it well, I wouldn’t want to continue to do it and ride the program down or anything like that. But I certainly don’t feel that way and that’s not where my mindset is right now."

---