Alabama football legend Nick Saban's retirement as head coach has caught everyone by surprise, including his former rivals. Among them is Guz Malzahn, who used to match wits Saban during his time in the SEC as head coach of Auburn football. Malzahn, upon learning of Saban's decision to call it quits, took to social media to give the college football a classy message.

“It was a true honor to coach against you throughout the years. Enjoy your retirement!” Malzahn captioned an X post with a photo of him in the middle of the field with Saban after a game.

Malzahn and Saban had their fair share of unforgettable battles in the SEC, perhaps none more famous than the 2013 Iron Bowl when the Tigers pulled off a stunning upset win over Alabama football to knock the Crimson Tide out of the BCS title contention. There were many other Iron Bowls and Auburn-Alabama football matchups fans got to see played during the time of Malzahn and Saban as head coaches of the Tigers and Crimson Tide, respectively, and most of them have been classics. Malzahn served as Auburn's head coach from 2013 to 2020 and Saban mentored Alabama for 17 years, from 2007 to 2023.

With Saban no longer the head coach of the Crimson Tide, many are left to wonder whether the quality of Alabama's play on the field will diminish. In any case, the absence of Saban — and Malzahn — on the sidelines certainly doesn't take away from the hype of the rivalry between Alabama football and the Tigers.