Former Alabama linebacker, FSU transfer said Nick Saban's retirement was 'like a bomb'

Count former Alabama linebacker Shawn Murphy as one of the people completely caught off guard by the retirement of legendary coach Nick Saban.

When Saban announced his retirement on Jan. 10, he told Alabama players at the same time news started leaking nationally. It caught Murphy and his teammates at the time off guard.

Murphy is one of five former Crimson Tide players to transfer to Florida State this offseason.

"Honestly, I had no idea because Nick Saban was going to retire. It's kind of like a bomb when it happened," Murphy said at a newcomer press conference Thursday.

"I was taken by surprise, I didn't know it was going to happen. I don't think any of us knew it was going to happen. When it happened, we were all caught off guard. But he's got to do what's best for him at the end of the day. I am happy for him and I love what he's doing now. He's enjoying life."

ESPN announced Saban would be joining Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Pat McAfee, Lee Corso and Desmond Howard on ESPN's "College GameDay" desk each Saturday, on Wednesday.

Why Shawn Murphy picked FSU football

While Saban did what was best for himself, Murphy did as well. The linebacker was mostly a reserve with the Crimson Tide in his first two seasons, recording recorded three tackles in 13 games this past season.

Murphy entered the portal two days later on Jan. 13. Two days later, he visited Tallahassee and committed to the Seminoles.

"With Florida State, I already knew that was one of the schools if I were to enter that would be one of the schools I would take interest in, along with a couple of others," Murphy said. "But I feel like the year I have I could have the most opportunity and make the biggest impact."

Murphy, a 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker from Manassas, Virginia, posted an 85.3 Pro Football Focus grade across 18 defensive snaps.

"I’m excited about the addition of Shawn to our program and the potential he brings to the Nole Family," FSU head coach Mike Norvell said in a press release about the addition on Jan. 19.

"He has great size, movements and toughness at the linebacker position. Shawn has all the traits to be a great player and will make a tremendous impact to our team on and off the field.”

In the 2022 recruiting class, Murphy chose Alabama over offers from FSU, LSU, Georgia, Florida and others. He was the No. 72 overall recruit and No. 2 linebacker in the cycle.

Like Georgia transfer and FSU legacy Marvin Jones Jr., Norvell and his staff recruited Murphy out of high school.

But because Norvell had just an 8-13 mark in his first two seasons leading the Seminoles, the allure of playing for Saban and Alabama in the SEC made the most sense for Murphy.

The Seminoles have gone 23-4 since, including an ACC Championship last season. Murphy had taken notice of what Norvell had done.

"It holds a lot of weight honestly, like he showed that you can stick to your word and shows that your standards are very high and that you can take a team to where you want to go," Murphy said.

"I think honestly like for somebody at the head like that, I feel like you can go a lot of places, not just as a team like individually."

The transition for Murphy to Tallahassee has been easier with four other Alabama teammates joining him.

"That makes it easier honestly, like it makes it way easier to transition to everything going on," he said. "You find that you see familiar faces and you're not doing it alone. Sometimes it can be hard going to the place area, not knowing anybody and trying to get to know everything. But when you have other teammates you go through the same thing as you, you can learn together and go find your way together."

Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports), Instagram (tlhnolesports) and YouTube channel (NoleSportsTD).

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Nick Saban retiring from Alabama a shocker, FSU's Shawn Murphy says