Nick Saban Says Rivals Are Using His Age to Recruit Against Him

Alabama head coach Nick Saban is attempting to combat efforts by other coaches to use his age against him by making it clear he has no plans to leave the Crimson Tide.

Chris Low of ESPN.com passed along comments Tuesday from the 64-year-old coach, who stated he's hearing that recruits are being told he won't make it through their full college careers. He doesn't plan to quit coaching anytime soon, however:

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I'm not looking to get out. I'm really not, even though I know that's going to start being talked about more now. What I have noticed is that it's the first time people are starting to say to recruits, "He won't be there the whole time you're there," because of my age. Does that really impact your ability to stay good? I don't know. But if it did, it would make you say, "Well, what's up with this?" My philosophy is that I'm going to be here for as long as I feel like I can be effective, impact the players, help them be more successful in life and continue to have a successful program.

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In January, a fresh batch of rumors suggested Saban could leave the college ranks for a second head coaching stint in the NFL with either the Indianapolis Colts or Tampa Bay Buccaneers, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network and Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, respectively.

Saban downplayed that talk to ESPN.com: "I think you get to a station in your life, whether it's family or relationships, a combination of all the above, that you just feel like you're entrenched. You can't even visualize being somewhere else, and that's where I am right now."

It's hard to imagine Saban could find more success elsewhere than he's enjoyed at Alabama. Last season's triumph over Clemson in the title game marked his fourth national championship since taking over the Tide in 2007, bringing his overall total to five, and the program has finished in the Associated Press Top 10 eight straight times.

Furthermore, he's been involved in coaching for the majority of his life. It's a journey that started in 1973 as a graduate assistant at Kent State, where he played college football, and it has proceeded to span more than four decades with a multitude of stops. Going into retirement would be quite a transition in its own right.

New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi talked about Saban's passion for the game on a recent 30 with Murti podcast, as relayed by Glenn McGraw of Campus Insiders:

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I love to watch how he goes about his business, his passion for the sport. I've been to a couple of games down there (Tuscaloosa). I took my son to see them (Alabama) play LSU. The amount of work he puts in in one day is incredible. He has to deal with recruits and not only the game plan, but the shows he has to do. I was just watching how his time schedule was so organized and how he went about his business.

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When you add all of the factors together, it seems unlikely Saban would walk away from Alabama in the near future. His comments merely confirm that notion.

Of course, other coaches must attempt to take advantage of any perceived weakness in the Alabama brand, even if it means bringing Saban's age into the discussion. Beating the Crimson Tide on the recruiting trail is the first step toward beating them on Saturdays.

It doesn't appear the efforts have worked, though. Alabama still finished with the top-ranked recruiting class for 2016, according to 247Sports' rankings.

As long as Saban is leading the charge, Bama's status as the preeminent college football program in the nation will likely remain in place.