Nick Saban is not crying over the assistants he lost to other programs, in fact, Tuesday’s presser after the first practice of spring had the 66-year-old at the most focused he’s ever been.
Despite the departures of Jeremy Pruitt, Brian Daboll, Derrick Ansley, Karl Dunbar and Bobby Williams among others, Alabama was able to bring in new faces and saw their abilities to salvage what finished as a top-10 signing class (No. 6) for the Crimson Tide in February.
While he joked around during a question about the new additions, Saban is genuinely excited about his staff and is looking forward to seeing the progress going into the fall.
“They have a lot of energy and enthusiasm,” Saban said on Tuesday.
“They have a lot of new ideas and are really aggressive recruiters. The players like them a lot.”
In unveiling the new members of Tide football, Dan Enos (quarterbacks), Josh Gattis (wide receivers), Craig Kuligowski (defensive line), Pete Golding (inside linebackers), Karl Scott (secondary) and Jeff Banks (special teams) all had success prior to arriving at Tuscaloosa.
Even the inside promotions of Tosh Lupoi (defensive coordinator), Michael Locksley (offensive coordinator) and Joe Pannunzio (running backs) has Alabama in great shape to not only compete for national championship No. 18, but also secure this state in terms of recruiting the 2019 cycle.
Regardless of the changes, Saban believes he’s ‘hit a home run’ with this group.
“I am really excited about our staff,” he said. “I can’t deny the changes. We have six new faces, but they have all seemed to fit in and are doing well.”
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @Smsmith_TDALMag.
