Students were the first to gather outside Bryant-Denny Stadium to offer tribute to head football coach Nick Saban after word of his retirement reached the public Wednesday afternoon.

Students who gathered near the statue spoke of donning black clothing to mark the event. Others came to lay tokens at the feet of the statue of Saban that stands alongside the Walk of Champions.

"It kind of feels like someone died in my family. It's hard to deal with at the moment," said student Preston McAlhany from Enterprise.

McAlhany said he was not shocked because Saban had purchased a mansion during the offseason, but the announcement certainly caught him off guard.

"I kind of expected it, but at the same time, people like (player) Terrion Arnold saying he wasn't going anywhere, we thought he would come back or at least one more year. Him not going out on a win kind of hurts."

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Fellow student, Luke Williamson from Hoover said, "I hoped he would go out on top. He said it was his favorite team and I was just hoping he could take them all the way, win it all and go out as undisputed GOAT."

Cline Smith and Camilee Downey, in-state seniors, brought their shakers to lay at the feet of the Saban statue.

"We just wanted to give a little piece of ourselves since he meant so much to us," Downey said. "I think people are going to say, 'We've always known we were special because we grew up in Alabama,' but it just means so much to us," Downey said.

Smith added, "In our freshman year, we won, I mean the school won the national championship, so that was extra special."

Many students were in disbelief over the news they never thought they would hear:

"I'm utterly shocked. I think I speak for every Alabama fan when I say that I felt as if he would be the coach here forever. I'm at a loss for words," senior Will Batson said.

"My friends and I thought it was a hoax, but clearly it wasn't," said McAlhany. "I'm very thankful for the last several years and for him bringing so much prosperity to this team, and for whoever's coming next, I always tell people Alabama is the standard, so hopefully the next person who comes is able to live up to that standard."

Even freshmen students who were only on campus for what was Saban's final year had enough time to feel the impact he had.

"This is my first year at Alabama, but I can just tell how much everyone loves him," said freshman Hope Schmeichel. "It's like a big family, and I can tell everyone is going to miss him and that he's had a really big impact on this school."

"It's really devastating, since I'm a freshman I only got to see one year of him here," said Zoe Harris, "but I just liked watching the football games, and seeing him smile is so rewarding."

The news was certainly a shock for Alabama students, but they did not let it affect their appreciation for Saban's final season.

"It's shocking, but this year was a great last hoorah that he gave us," senior Alex Malkin said. "He took a team that really needed some molding after a rough start and took them to the SEC championship, took them back to the playoff, and I think that's more than any of us could've asked for."

"I was walking on the Quad when I saw the news, and I felt my heart drop," said freshman Harrison Franks. "I walked to the student center and even saw a group of girls crying. That's something that I'm going to remember for the rest of my life."

Adam Baronovsky and Cade Hampton contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama students gather at Nick Saban statue to pay retirement tribute