No one knows when Nick Saban will coach his last game as the head man at the University of Alabama, but until then, it pays to be appreciative of what’s he done in the last 10 seasons.
Prior to his arrival in Tuscaloosa in 2007, ex-Crimson Tide running back Shaun Alexander and offensive tackle Chris Samuels were the last two first-round pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. Eight years would pass (2001-08) before the Tide landed its next wave of first round players; nevertheless, Saban stayed the course.
Since 2009, he placed 65 individuals in the NFL Draft – including 22 first-round picks.
According to CBS Sports, Alabama’s 10 picks in this year’s venue led the Southeastern Conference (53) and was second nationally only to Michigan – 11. To experts on the outside, Saban’s five SEC championships and four national titles appear to be “underachieving” with the amount of top-ranked recruiting classes he’s signed; however, it’s difficult to win one national championship nowadays than to compete for one every season.
Not only is Alabama in the conversation each year, but it’s expected of the Tide to have numerous standouts drafted. Before Saban, there was not a high demand of players from Tuscaloosa entering the NFL Draft.
"They come out beat up and topped out." — @ColinCowherd reacts to Alabama players falling in the 1st round pic.twitter.com/YIUfPBee7I
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) April 28, 2017
Regardless of outside chatter in concerns with players being hurt or having surgery prior to the draft, when recruits see that a particular school is consistently winning conference titles, national championships and sending guys to the next level, letters of intent will continue flowing to the program because today’s youth identify success with winning.
Alabama, in this day and age, is that program.
No matter who or what the competition is, people know that three things will come from being in Tuscaloosa: education, championships and a firm draft status. Saban has multiple former players win Super Bowl championships, including Dont’a Hightower, Courtney Upshaw, Terrence Cody, Jesse Williams and James Carpenter among others. All in all, Saban and the Tide still run the block when it comes to wins and preparing the next wave of talent for the professional level.
Stephen M. Smith is a managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @Smsmith_TDALMag.
