ESPN is set to peel back the curtain on Nick Saban’s life and coaching career with a six-part documentary series titled “Saban,” and the first glimpse arrived Saturday on “College GameDay.”
The tease came during Lane Kiffin’s return to Ole Miss with his LSU Tigers, a fitting backdrop for a project that will revisit another memorable coaching homecoming: Saban’s return to LSU in 2008, this time as Alabama’s head coach. ESPN’s social media post framed the preview this way: “On the heels of Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford, we look back at another emotional coaching return in 2008 ... Nick Saban’s return to LSU, but this time, as head coach of Alabama,”
“Saban” premieres on Oct. 8 at 5 p.m. Central (6 p.m.
ET/3 p.m. PT), with later episodes rolling out through October and into November on ESPN.
The series covers Saban’s path from his early years in West Virginia and at Kent State University all the way through his rise from low-level assistant to young head coach and into the Alabama dynasty. During 17 seasons in Tuscaloosa, he won six national championships before retiring in early 2024.
Saban and his wife, Terry, are both featured heavily in the project. The documentary also includes interviews with more than 70 friends, coaching colleagues and former players, among them Bill Belichick, Lane Kiffin, Steve Sarkisian, Kirby Smart, Jalen Hurts, Derrick Henry, Bryce Young, Julio Jones, AJ McCarron, DeVonta Smith and Tua Tagovailoa.
“With my coaching days behind me, Miss Terry and I have been doing a lot of reflection and realized we were ready to tell our story,” Saban said last month. “The team at Words + Pictures has encouraged me to really look back not just at my time at Alabama, but every stop along the way - and not just reflect on what happened but consider the process which made it happen.
I interacted with a lot of players and coaches along the way and I’m happy to see that so many of them have contributed to this docuseries. There’s a lot to tell, and I’m excited to share it all.”
ESPN says the series will also include never-before-seen footage from practices, sidelines, locker rooms and other behind-the-scenes moments. Brian Lockhart, ESPN’s Senior Vice President of Original Content, said, “Nick Saban’s impact extends far beyond the championships and historic success he achieved on the field,” and added, “What makes this series so special is the extraordinary access to Coach Saban, Miss Terry and the people who know him best, paired with rare footage that offers a new perspective on his remarkable journey. Saban is a definitive portrait of one of the most consequential figures in college football history, and we’re proud to share it with fans.”
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