Legendary coach Nick Saban announced on Thursday that he was retiring as head coach at Alabama football.

The decision seemingly came out of nowhere and shocked fans and experts alike.

Now, Saban is revealing that leaving Alabama football was a difficult decision – one that he almost didn't make, according to Nick Kelly of The Tuscaloosa News:

“Was Nick Saban going back and forth as late as Wednesday? Reece Davis asked. Saban: “I was. It was a hard decision. I love coaching. I love the relationship with the players.” Saban said he was deciding as late as 3:55 which speech he was going to give to the team in 4 p.m. meeting.”

The Alabama football program won nine SEC titles in addition to six national championships under Saban. Alabama became one of the most dominant college football programs in the nation after Saban took over. Saban has recorded a 199-23 record over the past 16 years, which is a spectacular .896 winning percentage.

Replacing Saban will be a unique challenge to whomever comes in to lead Alabama football. Oregon's Dan Lanning was mentioned as a favorite before he announced that he was staying at Oregon. The top two favorites include Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer and Florida State’s Mike Norvell.

Behind DeBoer and Norvell is Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, who was the Alabama football program’s interim offensive coordinator in 2016 and full-time OC in 2019-20.

There are also some interesting names on the long-shot list including Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, Colorado’s Deion Sanders, and former Ohio State and Florida coach Urban Meyer.

Congratulations to Nick Saban on his illustrious career with Alabama.