When one has surpassed the legendary Paul W. “Bear” Bryant for national championships, it deserves its own team.
After beating Ohio State and winning No. 7 on Monday for his career, ESPN released its All-Saban team on Thursday to pay homage to Nick Saban. The 2020 season was his 25th year in the coaching profession, and the network wanted to compile a team of his best players during his coaching tenure. Upon seeing the All-Saban team, created by Ryan McGee, Tua Tagovailoa starts the list at quarterback. AJ McCarron was a two-time BCS National Championship, but the native Hawaiian did change the perception of how fans and media discuss the Crimson Tide. McGee had the trio of DeVonta Smith, Amari Cooper and Julio Jones as the wide receivers. No one disagrees with him here, especially with the magnitude all three had throughout their careers.
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Smith grew from being Mr. “2nd and 26” to becoming the greatest receiver to play at Alabama. Prior to him, Cooper held all the receiving records and was regarded as the best route runner in Tide history. Jones was a physical specimen at the position and was dominant at a time when the Tide was a run first offense. Also, if Jones did not pick Alabama in the 2008 recruiting cycle … do we know Saban as the elite recruiter he is now? Probably not. Jones’ approval of Saban opened the door of dominance.
Fans might be upset that ESPN only chose one running back.
Derrick Henry was the right choice, seeing that he won the Heisman Trophy in 2015, but the Alabama nation still would not mind having Mark Ingram, Josh Jacobs and Najee Harris join him. The remaining offensive pieces chosen by ESPN were O.J. Howard (tight end), Andre Smith (offensive tackle), Alex Leatherwood (offensive tackle), Chance Warmack (offensive guard), Barrett Jones (offensive guard) and Ryan Kelly (center). Universally, every Crimson Tide supporter would agree with these names.
Defensively, this is where McGee threw a curveball.
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Jonathan Allen and Quinnen Williams were the first two names for the defensive line; however, Marcus Spears (LSU) was the third name listed. Spears was exceptional under Saban for the Tigers, but Tide would wonder if Da’Ron Payne may have worked better in this spot. The quartet of linebackers were C.J. Mosley, Dont’a Hightower, Rolando McClain and Reuben Foster.
No one would disagree with those four.
In the secondary, McGee had Minkah Fitzpatrick and Dre Kirkpatrick at cornerback. He finished with Mark Barron and Landon Collins at safety. All four names are good, but one would think about Eddie Jackson. He ended his career with eight interceptions, including a team-high six in 2015. Jackson returned two picks for touchdowns and was a major weapon on special teams too.
The three chosen specialists were Paul Edinger (kicker, Michigan State), JK Scott and Javier Arenas.
This group could change in the future, especially if Will Reichard continues his success.
One could have Jaylen Waddle as the kick returner, but Arenas was dangerous too.
Crimson Tide fans, what do you think about ESPN’s All-Saban team? A lot of effort was put into it; nevertheless, with Saban continue to win with great players … the list will be changing soon.
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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 @CoachingMSmith
