Nick Saban says he’s staying at Alabama until he retires

Almost every year, some new rumor pops up that involves Alabama coach Nick Saban being courted by some other team or franchise, and each year he shoots the rumor down.

This year, he apparently wanted to get a jump on the speculation.

In an interview with ESPN.com, Saban bluntly said he has no intention of leaving Alabama before he ultimately retires from the game.

“No, I really don’t. I don’t see it ever happening, and I know every year somebody has me going somewhere else,” Saban told ESPN.com. “I think a lot of it isn’t just about the coaching part. What people don’t understand is they forget you’re a person. They forget you have a wife and two kids and a grandbaby, and they all live in Birmingham.

“They all work here. My wife goes to Birmingham five times a week. My mom lives in Birmingham now after moving from Myrtle Beach. It’s not just the job. A lot of people don’t get that. My life is here.”

Alabama plays Michigan State in the College Football Playoff semifinal on New Year’s Eve, the second consecutive season the Tide have played in the CFP. The Tide has either won or appeared in the national championship game in five of Saban’s past seven seasons.

Saban acknowledged that he might not be able to keep Alabama playing at a high level, but that he’s going to keep trying before he ultimately decides to settle down.

“It’s trying to always be able to overcome the obstacles to continue to be that successful,” Saban told ESPN.com. “That’s what is always on my mind, knowing what it’s going to take, whether it’s in recruiting, staff or internal attitude and chemistry, to be able to accomplish what we all want to accomplish.

“But I know a day is coming where that standard can’t be met. You cannot keep that up. There’s going to be some period of time … where you’re not at that level. If you look at every coach’s record, it’s just not possible to sustain that level of success all the time.”

For more Alabama news, visit TideSports.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

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