The 2023 Alabama football team nearly made the national title game. Looking ahead to 2024, the roster looked solid, and Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide seemed ready to compete again.

Then, on Jan. 14, 2024, Saban rattled the college football world when he walked into a team meeting and retired. The decision even surprised many of his players.

Former Alabama QB Tyler Buchner had already left the team and headed back to Notre Dame, and found out the news like most of the world.

“I found out through the media,” Buchner, now at Notre Dame, told AL.com on Saturday ahead of Monday’s national championship game in Atlanta.

Buchner said he was surprised by the news. For his former teammates who were sitting in the meeting, the announcement was even more shocking.

Caleb Downs worked closely with Saban, who helped coach the Crimson Tide defensive backs. Now at Ohio State, which will face Notre Dame in the title game, he described his emotions upon hearing of the retirement.

“That came as a huge shock to me,” Downs said. “I didn’t see it coming at all. Even when he said it, I was still like ‘Did this really just happen?’ That was one of the main reasons I went there to Alabama and it was a really difficult time for me.”

Downs eventually entered the portal and landed at Ohio State, where he has continued his path to superstardom and helped the Buckeye defense to the national title game. On the other side of the ball, his current OSU teammate Julian Sayin also had his life thrown into disarray because of Saban’s retirement.

“That was definitely a little surprising,” Sayin said Saturday.

Buchner, Downs and Sayin, along with center Seth McLaughlin, all found their way to the national championship game after leaving Alabama. They’ll be joined in Atlanta by Saban, who is a part of ESPN’s broadcast crew as a College Gameday analyst.

Their old coach’s presence has been hard to miss across college football this season.

“I know that’s been a change and will continue to be a change for him,” Downs said. “But I can tell that he’s really enjoyed it. And every time I’ve talked to him about it, he’s like ‘I’m having so much fun doing it right now,’ so it’s a good thing.”

Notre Dame and Ohio State are scheduled to kick off the national championship game at 6:30 p.m. CT Monday in Atlanta. The game will be aired on ESPN.