Recently retired Nick Saban rips NIL: 'What we have now is not college football'

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Several prominent members of the football world have said that Nick Saban retired because of NIL running rampant - they might have been right.

Saban, 72, called it a career in January - an illustrious career that included seven national championships, making him arguably the greatest college football coach of all time.

However, with the recent skyrocketing of name, image and likeness (NIL) deals, college athletics has changed a lot, and they are not what Saban is used to.

"What we have now is not college football -- not college football as we know it. You hear somebody use the word 'student-athlete.' That doesn't exist," Saban said in an interview with ESPN, whom he recently joined as a "College GameDay" analyst.

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Alabama head coach Nick Saban answers questions from the media at the Heisman Trophy press conference at the Marriott Marquis in New York on Dec. 11, 2021 in New York City. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Saban said he wants to have a voice that will bring "meaningful change" and prepare athletes for life after sports if they do not go pro.

"I do know I'd like to impact college football the best way I can, whether it's being a spokesperson or anything else," Saban said. "Listen, I'm for the players. It's not that I'm not for the players. I want to see the players have a great quality of life and be able to create value for themselves. But we've gone to nobody talking about education, nobody talking about creating value for their future, to talking only about how much money can I make while I'm in college.

"I think the consequence of this could come down the