Nick Saban is the first inductee of the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame class.
The ESPN “College GameDay” crew surprised him with the announcement during Friday’s pregame show for the College Football Playoff matchup between Ohio State and Texas at the Cotton Bowl.
Saban’s election to the Hall of Fame was a no-brainer. He won six national championships during his 17 years at Alabama and a seventh at LSU, where he coached five seasons. Saban compiled a 201–29 record in Tuscaloosa, winning nine SEC titles. He retired from coaching after last season.
Overall, Saban finished with a 297–71-1 record as a college coach in stints at Toledo (9–2), Michigan State (34–24–1), LSU (48–16) and Alabama. His seven national championships are the most all-time among FBS coaches, while his win total ranks fifth all-time. He won 11 SEC championships and one MAC title.
Saban, 74, is the fifth Alabama coach to be elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, joining Gene Stallings, Frank Thomas and Wallace Wade. He is also the sixth LSU coach, the sixth from Michigan State and the second from Toledo to be inducted.
Saban was one of nine coaches on the 2025 ballot, including Urban Meyer, Tommy Tuberville and Larry Coker. The 77 players on the ballot include Penn State’s Ki-Jana Carter, Iowa’s Dallas Clark, Pittsburgh’s Aaron Donald, Alabama’s Mark Ingram, Oklahoma’s Josh Heupel and Syracuse’s Marvin Harrison.
The rest of the College Football Hall of Fame class of 2025 will be announced on Jan. 15 during ESPN2’s “College Football Live.” The 2025 class will be officially inducted on Dec. 9 during the National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner in Las Vegas.
