Though he laughed as he said it, Nick Saban delivered perhaps a sobering message Wednesday to his counterparts around the Southeastern Conference and college football.
Reminded that Lou Saban, a reported cousin and also a longtime coach, had gotten his final job at age 80, Nick Saban indicated he has another decade in coaching.
Saban turns 70 this week on Halloween.
“I got 10 more years, man,” Saban said, laughing during the SEC teleconference.
Saban said he has not particularly altered his approach to his role as Alabama's head coach or dwelled on perhaps how long he intends to keep coaching.
Saban is coming off his seventh national championship as a head coach, the last half-dozen atop the Crimson Tide after recording his first at LSU.
“I never really thought about it, to be honest with you, but I am thankful every day and feel very blessed to be able to do this job without a lot of issues or problems,” Saban said. “I'm not really thinking about what's going to happen 10 years from now, either.
“I try to focus on what's happening now and try to take advantage of those opportunities. … I try to be a good husband, granddad, father, coach. I feel blessed to have the opportunity we have and the opportunities we have had in the past.”
Saban emphasized he has not set a planned moment in the future to which he will coach; rather, he has established a method of evaluating the Crimson Tide program.
“I just kind of keep on keeping on,” Saban said. “I don't have a timetable for anything.
“The only thing I've ever said is that if I felt like I was riding the program down or wasn't able to make positive contributions, then it would prolly be time to let somebody else carry the torch.”
Alabama is ranked third nationally and, at 7-1, is seeking its 14th consecutive season of 11 or more wins under Saban's guidance.