It is never a popular things to criticize greatness or explain how others can be better.
He has done nothing but elevate the University of Alabama football program since becoming the head coach in 2007.
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Nick Saban knows what it takes to win national championships. He has seven of them in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) era and College Football Playoff (CFP) era, including six at Alabama. Saban has nine Southeastern Conference Championships with the Crimson Tide as the latest one came in 2023.
The 72-year-old has countless players in the National Football League and guided to signing another strong recruiting class, but something appears to be missing. Saban had an opportunity at his seventh CFP National Championship at Alabama in 2023, but the dream died Monday in a 20-27 overtime Rose Bowl loss to Michigan.
Saban called this season ‘one of the most amazing ones in Alabama history.’
The Tide fought through adversity, but Saban’s biggest flaw as a coach reared its head up on a significant stage. He has been loyal to a fault throughout his career, especially to veteran players, but his loyalty has cost him championships.
The issue happened again during the Rose Bowl. Saban has always been one to make calculated moves, regardless on whether it’s popular or not.
We are talking about a head coach who benched Jalen Hurts in the second half of the 2018 CFP National Championship Game (2017 season) for Tua Tagovailoa against Georgia. Hurts was 26-2 as a starting quarterback and Tagovailoa, a freshman then, had not played significant snaps all season. Saban knew his team needed a spark and had enough moxie to make the change to Tagovailoa. Saban’s decision led to a “2nd and 26” miracle as Tagovailoa found DeVonta Smith for a game-winning, 41-yard touchdown pass in overtime to give Alabama a 26-23 victory.
This is the same Saban that let Lane Kiffin go before the 2017 CFP National Championship Game (2016 season) versus Clemson in Tampa, Fla. The two could have worked things out, but Saban wanted Kiffin gone. Saban costed himself a national title, yet he was still bold enough to make a move that was necessary.
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It is the same Saban that benched Jalen Milroe in week three of 2023 for Tyler Buchner versus South Florida.
Saban did not make the best move, especially with how Buchner struggled, but he showed no fear in making it.
We even saw Saban part ways from Scott Cochran after he was the head strength coach and master motivator for several national championship teams in the Saban era at Alabama.
He has no issues making controversial decisions, so why did loyalty or fear hold him back from making a change that might have impacted the Rose Bowl in a better way for the Tide?
Seth McLaughlin, a senior offensive lineman, is a quality student-athlete. He is a fantastic young man who helped Alabama win a CFP National Championship in 2020 and has three SEC Championship rings, but he struggled all season with snapping the football.
McLaughlin had several bad snaps all season and averaged nearly two to three per game.
Milroe covered some snaps by making plays out of nothing, but the Rose Bowl miscues for McLaughlin were too much. He had numerous issues against Wolverines, which offset the timing of Alabama’s offense and protection schemes. McLaughlin had two awful snaps on a promising drive that killed a touchdown opportunity. He had a bad snap on the final play of the game during the Crimson Tide’s overtime possession. A perfect snap would have given Milroe a chance to hit Jam Miller for a touchdown or run behind Jaeden Roberts for a score. Instead, a bad snap forced Milroe to take his eyes off the field and put them on the ball.
When he picked his eyes up, he ran to the middle of the Michigan defense and got stood up.
Alabama had Darrian Dalcourt, Terrence Ferguson, and James Brockermeyer that could have replaced McLaughlin.
Saban saw his center struggling and did not make a change. Loyalty is a positive trait, but if a person is not doing their job something has to be adjusted. Saban’s failure in this matter cost him the Rose Bowl and a chance to play in the CFP National Championship Game. His decision to remain with McLaughlin came back to hurt him and the team. Alabama has to return to the drawing board as Saban has allowed three years in a series to go by without a national title.
The 2021 recruiting class that featured Milroe, JC Latham, Dallas Turner, Terrion Arnold, Kool-Aid McKinstry, Deontae Lawson, Jaeden Roberts, Kendrick Blackshire, and Tim Kennan III do not have a national championship ring. Turner, an outside linebacker, will pursue the NFL Draft without a national title ring. Latham, Arnold, and McKinstry all have a decision to make.
Saban had an opportunity to pull McLaughlin when the issues started early in the Rose Bowl. His decision to leave him in will eat at him for a long time.
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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.
