"He's built different": When Deion Sanders highlighted the major reason behind Nick Saban's decision to step down from Alabama coaching job 

Deion Sanders claimed he knew why Nick Saban decided to retire in his appearance on the “Outta Pocket with RGIII” podcast in January 2024. A week after Alabama's Rose Bowl loss to Michigan, the seven-time national title winner announced his retirement from coaching.

Speaking with Robert Griffin III on the podcast, Sanders disclosed that the series of changes that had occurred in the college football landscape over the years influenced Saban's decision. These include the advent of NIL and the transfer portal, which continues to be something difficult to deal with for many coaches.

“Old school guys that built their lives on hard work, dedication, to try to treat people right, they don't see that formula working,” Sanders said (Timestamp: 0:52 onwards). “But it still does, but they don't have the time. Coach has done some tremendous things in our game. Coach is financially secure x20. “It's like, ‘Man, I don't need this. I don't need this. I ain't got time. A darn lineman on the open market right now is at least half a million. I don't need this.’ I know he doesn't like it. I want you to play cause I want you to get compensated, but play first because you love it. Not the first thing that comes out of your mouth is the bag. He's built different.”

Nick Saban had been in the landscape for more than three decades before things started to fall apart. With the realm fast losing its core values, the coach decided to call it quits. Saban has confirmed this played a role in his decision to retire following Deion Sanders' claim.

Deion Sanders explains why he can cope with new changes in college football

While the changes in college football played a role in Nick Saban's decision to retire, Deion Sanders believes he can cope with the new ideas. "Coach Prime" has often referred to himself as old school, but being a father of student-athletes enables him to view things from the other side.

“I'm built different (too), but I have young kids, pretty much. So I can kind of relate to the times and the games, and how we did with our kids, like we’re in it,” Sanders added. “We’re real dads. We ain't no distant fathers. We’re real dads. We’re in the trenches with them. I know when you're affected. I know when somebody starts bothering you."

Sanders has had to adapt to the changes that have occurred in college football over the years at Colorado. He's one of the top users of the transfer portal for roster building, while being at the forefront of enabling athletes to get the right compensation. Nonetheless, he admits to the challenges those initiatives have created.

Edited by Veer Badani