Nick Saban uses Bear Bryant, Bobby Bowden to place emphasis on the current state of college football

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA – JUNE 06: Nick Saban attends an event with Aflac to deliver My Special Aflac Ducks® to Children’s Of Alabama on June 06, 2023 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for Aflac)

Do you ever sit back and wonder what the former generations would think about the current state of college football? If so, you are not alone. On Monday night, former Alabama head football coach Nick Saban referenced two of the most legendary college football coaches of all time when discussing the sport we all love.

While speaking at the 2024 Nick Saban Legacy Awards, the recently retired coach used Bear Bryant and Bobby Bowden as examples of why change is needed in college football. Not only did Saban reference the two legends, but he also pledged to do his part in working with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne to help develop a plan.

“If coach Bryant or coach Bowden could all of a sudden be with us tonight, what would they think of college football right now? That should be the very reason that we’re all very much committed to what we can do to make college football something where players can have a great quality of life, but we still have a venue where they have an opportunity to grow and learn and be successful.

“I would like to be a part of trying to help people that are working hard to make that happen like Greg Sankey. Like Greg Byrne. Like our conference commissioners are trying to do. That’s really, really important for young people, and it’s something that we’re very much committed to.”

Even though he has been retired for less than two months, Saban is proving that he wants to continue to be active in the sport he dominated for so long.

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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Nick Saban uses Bear Bryant, Bobby Bowden to place emphasis on the current state of college football