Last Friday, his ESPN colleagues surprised Nick Saban by informing him he was elected to the 2025 class of the College Football Hall of Fame.
The rest of the class was revealed Wednesday, where the National Football Foundation announced that he will be joined by his counterpart to greatness in the 2000s and 2010s will join him: Urban Meyer.
Meyer and Saban will be joined by former Troy head coach Larry Blakeney and former Northwestern College (Iowa) head coach Larry Korver, alongside an 18-man player class including the likes of former Virginia Tech quarterback and current Norfolk State head coach Michael Vick, former Texas Tech quarterback and multi-school offensive coordinator Graham Harrell, and former Texas defensive back and current Longhorns analyst Michael Huff.
Saban is eligible for immediate induction because he is past his 70th birthday. Meyer became eligible this year, his third season removed from coaching the Jacksonville Jaguars.
"We are thrilled to announce the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class," said NFF chairman Archie Manning, a 1989 inductee out of Ole Miss. "Each of these legends ranks among the absolute best to have ever played or coached the game, and we look forward to adding their incredible accomplishments to those permanently enshrined in the Hall of Fame."
Saban, of course, went 292-71-1 at Toledo, Michigan State, LSU and Alabama, while Meyer was 187-32 at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and Ohio State.
A Saban- or Meyer-coached team won 10 national championships from 2003-20, and seven from 2006-15. Furthermore, Meyer and Saban met in de facto national semifinals at the SEC championship in 2008 and '09, and then in an actual College Football Playoff semifinal to close the 2014 season. Saban went 2-1 in those meetings.
Meyer is the eighth Ohio State coach to reach the College Football Hall of Fame, joining Howard Jones (1910), John Wilce (1913-28), Francis Schmidt (1934-40), Woody Hayes (1951-78), Earle Bruce (1979-87), John Cooper (1988-2000) and Jim Tressel (2001-10). Meyer's inclusion means that five consecutive full-time Buckeye head coaches have achieved the game's ultimate honor.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.