The end doesn’t seem to be in sight for Alabama’s reign on college football and neither is the conclusion of Nick Saban’s coaching career. Earlier this week, Saban and the Crimson Tide agreed to a new contract extension that runs through February of 2030 while making him the highest-paid coach in the game with a total of $93.6 million in compensation.
Saban has already solidified his place in college football history with six national championships at Alabama and seven overall including his single title at LSU. But the motivation is still there for the man who turns 71 this October as he told ESPN on Thursday that he isn’t allowing his age to be an excuse to not adapt to the new game.
“First of all, I feel like a young man, aight? So let’s clear that up,” Saban joked in an interview with Chris Low. “The 71 … is a number, just a number, and I still feel like they don’t make’em like they used to, but you have to be flexible. I think that’s one of the most important things about competitive sports. You know, the game has changed. the 3-point shot changed basketball. So you either change with it or you fall behind.
“The no-huddle changed football, RPOs changed football. If you don’t sort of study the game and know the impact of these things and use them to your advantage, you’re going to just completely get bypassed by a lot of folks.”
Saban was also asked by Low if he planned to remain at Alabama and coach through the remainder of his deal, which he had a quick answer for.
“Still alive?” Saban joked. “I sure plan to be here coaching.”
Now entering his 16th season at Alabama, the success on the field and in recruiting is still going strong. Saban has just built another top-ranked recruiting class in 2023 in an ever-changing age of NIL. Although the head coach has been critical in the past he believes in the player’s ability to earn money for themselves, but the main recruiting pitch he gives to athletes is the long-term value created by playing at Alabama.
“The one thing, because of the brand that we have here, that players can see is they can earn a tremendous amount of money because of the brand and because of the image of that they can create using that brand to promote themselves, which has happened,” Saban said. “The players that we’re recruiting are not coming here because of the money we’re giving them to come here. They’re coming here because of what they can earn being here because of the history that we have of guys creating value for themselves.”
Not only has the game evolved around Saban but his style has as well. The famous clips from practice where Saban digs into players in front of the team have dwindled over the years as he becomes a more one on one teacher, which is something he believes is an improvement.
“I think I’ve become a better teacher,” Saban said. “I think yelling and screaming at players in this day and age really goes in one ear and out the other. If you want them to really resonate on what you’re saying, you just need to teach it, and sometimes, it works better if you do it individually than if you do it in front of other people. That’s not something I considered in years past, several years past.
“I still can get hot under the collar every now and then, but I try to leave that to intangible things like giving effort, playing with toughness, and finishing plays and not necessarily mental errors.”
To little surprise, Alabama was ranked No. 1 in the AP preseason poll and with the return of quarterback Bryce Young and linebacker Will Anderson the Crimson Tide is the favorite to hoist the national championship trophy at the end of this season.
Although important, it’s not only Young and Anderson who Saban has confidence in leading into its Week 1 matchup with Utah State. Saban reports the entire team has bought into their mentality and are all striving towards the same goals together.
“We don’t have a lot of what I call energy vampires, guys that take all your time because they’re not doing what they’re supposed to do,” Saban said. “We have a team that has bought in, and they’re all trying to do the right thing.”
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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
