Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne didn't take long to set the tone for the coaching search after Nick Saban decided to retire Wednesday.

Byrne put out a statement with what he's looking for in the next coach.

"As with any coaching search, our goal is to be thorough but expedient," Byrne wrote in a statement on social media. "Our ideal candidate will be strong in recruiting and relationship building, player development, excel in Xs and Os and have the overall ability to lead this historic program. There will be plenty of rumors out there during this process. Next time I talk publicly will be to announce our new coach. If you don't hear it from me, don't believe it. Roll Tide!"

Saban announced his retirement Wednesday after 17 seasons as Alabama's coach and six national championships. He also won 10 SEC West titles and nine SEC Championship Games at Alabama. He spent a quarter century in coaching.

"Simply put, Nick Saban is one of the greatest coaches of all time, in any sport, and The University of Alabama is fortunate to have had him leading our football program for the past 17 seasons," Byrne said in a statement. "Throughout his career as a head coach, his teams have won seven national championships, 11 conference championships and 312 games, and he's developed an NCAA-record 49 NFL first-round draft picks and, most importantly, hundreds of college graduates. He is the consummate coach, mentor and leader, and his impact is felt far beyond the football field."

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Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, and he covers Alabama football and men's basketball. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: What Greg Byrne said about Alabama football coaching search