Alabama football has not played a historically black college or university during the Nick Saban era, but the seven-time National Championship winning coach is open to the Crimson Tide adding an HBCU to their schedule in the future.
Multiple Power 5 programs have hosted HBCU football programs in recent years. The Auburn Tigers have gone up against the Alabama State Hornets and the Alabama A&M Bulldogs on the gridiron four times since 2012. Saban said he feels competing against an in-state HBCU will help their players elevate their abilities during the 2022 SEC Media Days when asked about the possibility of the Bulldogs and Hornets playing Alabama in the future.
“I think I certainly can see,” Saban said. “We’ve tried to be very supportive. Miss Terry is on the Board of Trustees at Stillman College. I’ve always been an advocate of playing in-state schools because I think it sort of helps them raise their level and their ability to compete, which obviously if you do that, you also contribute to how successful the players in those organizations can be, So I would be very much in favor of that.”
Alabama is set to open the 2022 football season against the Utah State Aggies in Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sept. 3.
