Deion Sanders says changes to college football ‘chased the GOAT away’ after hearing of Nick Saban's retirement

The college football world received bombshell news Wednesday night that Alabama head coach Nick Saban is retiring.

Saban, the head coach at Alabama for 17 seasons, made it official a few hours after reports of his retirement began to surface. 

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders walks the sideline against Arizona at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo., Nov. 11, 2023. (Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

"The University of Alabama has been a very special place to Terry and me," Saban said in a statement. "We have enjoyed every minute of our 17 years being the head coach at Alabama as well as becoming a part of the Tuscaloosa community. It is not just about how many games we won and lost, but it's about the legacy and how we went about it. We always tried to do it the right way. The goal was always to help players create more value for their future, be the best player they could be and be more successful in life because they were part of the program. Hopefully, we have done that, and we will always consider Alabama our home."

ALABAMA'S NICK SABAN RETIRING AS FOOTBALL COACH

As college football continues to undergo massive changes — conference realignment, the transfer portal and name, image and likeness (NIL) — one of Saban’s colleagues and friends, Deion Sanders, weighed in. 

"WOW! College Football just lost the GOAT to retirement," Sanders posted to X. "WOW! I knew it would happen 1 day soon but not this soon. The game has change so much that it chased the GOAT away. College football let's hold up our mirrors and say HONESTLY what u see."  

Sanders has used the new rules of college football to his advantage, completely overhauling the roster at Colorado in his first season. 

After being hired in December 2022, Sanders turned to the portal to infuse the roster with talent after a 1-11 campaign. Colorado went 4-8 in Sanders’ first season, losing its last six games to end the year. 

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Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide in the second quarter against the Michigan Wolverines during the CFP semifinal Rose Bowl Game at Rose Bowl Stadium Jan. 1, 2024, in Pasadena, Calif.  (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

College football will see even more changes in 2024 as the College Football Playoff moves from a four-team playoff to a 12-team model. 

The SEC will welcome Texas and Oklahoma, while the Pac-12 will be a shell of itself. The "Conference of Champions" will see 10 of its 12 members depart to the Big Ten, Big 12 or ACC in 2024, and Oregon State and Washington State will attempt to keep the conference afloat. 

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Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide runs off the field at halftime during the Rose Bowl against the Michigan Wolverines at Rose Bowl Stadium Jan. 1, 2024, in Pasadena, Calif.  (Ryan Kang/Getty Images)

Saban, 72, departs college football as the greatest coach in the history of the sport after winning seven national championships. 

As head coach of Alabama, Saban brought six national championships and nine SEC titles to Tuscaloosa while going 206-29. 

In his 28 years as a head coach, which included stops at Toledo, Michigan State and LSU, Saban never had a losing season.