← Josh Pate's College Football Show
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- [00:00]
Podcast Host
This is an iHeart podcast.
- [00:02]
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- [01:36]
Podcast Host
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- [02:06]
Interviewer
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- [03:04]
Nick Saban
Yeah, I think overall fell short of our goals. Personal goal or team goals for this season. Program goals that you always have of competing for a championship. But, you know, a lot of steps that I think we took from year one to year two, and, you know, the start of the season was, was hard with a loss right off the bat. But I think, you know, we showed some resiliency and, you know, we calloused a little bit and as a team came together and learned a lot about ourselves. We became better because of it, both as a team and I think the individuals on it.
- [03:43]
Interviewer
You talk about the callousing of a team. I'm watching you from the outside looking in, and there's immediate heat because of the Florida State result. And then the nose gets pulled up and then it's, you're making a run and then you're banged up down the stretch. You got the Georgia game, you got, oh, you win. Then you got the way it ends against Indiana. And so there's a lot of opportunity for a lot of people to say a lot of things about you. Your third year in here. Now, does that callousing stuff start to happen to you personally, too?
- [04:13]
Nick Saban
I mean, I guess I take it all in personally. You know, you don't want the peaks in the valleys that are so high and so, so low. You always want to be continuing up, upward. I think for me, I just focus on right now. You got to have a plan and you got to kind of see what you want the team to become and what we could become and how we're going to get there. But I think it's just pouring in every day. And so I don't get too far ahead of myself. I ask the players not to do that, the staff not to do that. And that starts with me third year in.
- [04:44]
Interviewer
Now, you've said many, many times, all right, there's a way I want it to look. There's a direction we're going. There's a way that I want the identity to be the DNA to be. Where are you on that process right now?
- [04:57]
Nick Saban
Yeah, I mean, there's. I've never questioned the guys working hard, being open to what we're doing. I think that comes from relationships that our coaches have and I think there's, you know, what are relationships? I think there's a respect that our players have towards the coaching staff that they really feel. They feel good about, you know, the direction we're trying to take them, what we're trying to do. We talk about every minute matters, every day matters. And I think, you know, that goes along with great meetings that are prepared well. And, you know, I think our players over the years and really seen it this year too, really trust our staff and our, Our staff really, you know, enjoys coaching our guys because they. They're going to bring it and, you know, just taking those next steps that I referred to. I think you learn from your experiences and as much as we can in year one, try to bring up things that I've been through or this program's been through and apply it to what we're encounter. It's never the same as when you go through it together. When we went through things last year, the year before, we were able to learn and grow through the good and the bad that we experienced. And when we talk about something, it's something we can be efficient in explaining. I can show a clip of one play, I can show a situation. And then we can talk about the big picture too, of, of the emotional maturity that it takes. And that's. That's. I think the things that we've improved on that we can learn from because we've been through it.
- [06:32]
Interviewer
I'm sure you've been asked about the run game last year a million times, but I wanted to ask you, like, from this vantage point, so you've got what you think your team is coming out of spring. Then you go through fall camp. You got a couple of scrimmages there, you're practicing every day. So, like, you've probably got the highest and lowest basic, like, bookmarks that you think you've got. Team wise, position, group wise. How did the ground game and all that goes into that last year compare to what you thought you had coming out of fall camp?
- [07:03]
Nick Saban
Yeah, I mean, I certainly thought we'd be better than what we were. And I think that, you know, everyone just looks at it and tries to find a way that they can make it better. Call it ownership, whatever it is, from me to the coaching staff to our players, you know, I've. I'VE really felt like we've tried to find the things that we can do well that fit our personnel, the things that fit together with what we want to do off the run game. The schemes we're facing, you know, when we're calling it, I mean, I think our coaching staff is just really. They were in the season diving into it and obviously have done a lot of that. You know, I know there's some headway. We have a lot of new faces, and it's almost like it's a clean slate for a lot of these guys. Other than Michael Carroll, most of the offensive linemen that had significant time are. Are not here with us anymore. I think, you know, there's more than the line. There's. There's running backs, there's tight ends, receivers that can help us when we do get through the first couple levels that can spring us for big ones. There's a lot. I mean, a quarterback carrying out a fake can hold a defender. So I. I just think that every area, and there are areas you really focus on that, that have a higher priority and can have a bigger impact on the production we're looking for. But I feel like we've. We've taken some good steps so far. We are far from where we need be, but I feel like we're heading the direction and, you know, there's a confidence that's slowly brewing.
- [08:29]
Interviewer
You were. You were missing something there that. I mean, that's the way a coach thinks. A coach looks at every single aspect that contributes to success on the ground. Maybe the general public just looks at how good your O line, how good are your tailbacks, what do these numbers on the piece of paper say? That's kind of the run game. To an outside observer, obviously, it's a lot more intricate than that. When you're in the middle of week seven, week eight, and you're not filling the bucket there like you want to fill it. How much do you view as we could address this now versus we kind of got what we got at this point. We're going to have to save this for January to figure it out. Like, what's that balance of. I want to win right now, man. I want to fix it right now versus all right, let's be realist. Let's be real about this. There's some things that we just kind of got what we got.
- [09:13]
Nick Saban
Yeah. I mean, we're going to live in the moment. We're going to try to maximize what we can do, so we're always going to try to make it Better and not just settle, you know. And so I really felt like there were some strides that we were making past the midway point of the season and then the very, the last few games, you know, really, it really didn't meet the standard and goals that we had, you know, and, you know, guys were working at it. Coaches, I think, were, we're really pressing to try to make it, make it better, too, but we never settled. We're always going to try to be in the moment. You only get one chance to have the 2025 season, to have the 2026 season. And so when you're in it, you got to keep pushing, you got to keep working to have answers to, to make it as good as it possibly can be.
- [09:59]
Interviewer
You guys brought a lot of kids in via the portal. You got some new staffers here. It's all part of the same vision that you have for your organization. So when you go and you're looking at evaluating kids in the portal, some of them are, you know, higher profile, some of them are not high profile. Some of them weren't on someone's radar until they literally found out, hey, Alabama just took that kid. It could be the same with a coaching staff addition, but when you guys were in that mode of adding to for the 2026 version of Alabama, what were some of your priorities? What specifically were you looking at?
- [10:34]
Nick Saban
Well, I mean, you got to fill the spots. And we lost some very talented graduates, you know, seniors that are done with their eligibility that are going to be greatly missed. Some of those guys brought talent, some of them brought leadership, great leadership because they were in the program. I think we had four guys that were here the whole time out of the 16 that were seniors. So that just shows you right there the changes that have happened in the program when only four are there at the end. A couple of guys that went to the NFL and left a year early. So those are hard to replace because, you know, that's the heart and soul. And so you're thinking about the high school recruiting, the development that's happening. That's why you got to continue to do that. Because I don't want to live in the world where we got to replace that many guys every single year. And we can get some really good high school players that last year made impact for us, probably half a dozen at least, that were maybe not starters, but played starter reps and had that type of role. You know, I think when it comes to the portal, as you're, as you're asking, I think that, you know, we had to. We had to try to make sure we didn't waver from what you feel like in this today's world, the value is for a guy because it's going to impact you. And. And for the most part, I think most programs around the country still have a limit of what they can spend, and we are very supported. But, you know, you got to be smart, and that can not only impact what you're spending on the bottom line, but also what the locker room looks like. And I thought did a great job of identifying, you know, positions. We had to fill some offensive line spots with five guys graduating, a couple guys to the NFL, a couple guys more guys that left for the Portal. So there was a numbers and also a quality that we had to get to fill a roster. And I think we did a good job with that. With the freshmen that are coming up, the transfers coming in, I think, you know, D line, you know, we had some spots where we had to fill some needs. The guys that left the Portal, Tim Keenan, you know, a great leader and player for us, you know, we had to fill some. Some spots there and become, you know, stout in the middle. Something that I think people took advantage of us on, especially in the big games. But the rest of the spots, I think that you see with receiver, there's always going to be a guy or two. Defensive back, there's a guy or two. The rest of the spots were really stable. Our tight ends were young, other than Josh Cuevas last year, they've got a year under their belt. And so I like the development and growth there. We bring in a Josh Ford to add a little more strength and, and demeanor in the run blocking. I think that can help that whole group out, you know, so I like that we still covered kind of all the position groups. We had to obviously be very focused on the O line of D line.
- [13:32]
Interviewer
There's some names on the defensive side of your team that I don't have to look very far to say that guy.
- [13:40]
Nick Saban
That guy.
- [13:41]
Interviewer
That's probably. That's probably where their leadership's going to come from over there. On the offensive side, I'm. I'm like, far less sure of that. I know that's what spring's for. That's what summer workouts are for. How far down the road are you guys on figuring out, like, who are going to be those kinds of leaders on the offensive side?
- [13:59]
Nick Saban
Yeah, we've really left it much more open this year. A lot of times in the past, I would have had some type of leadership group that the team would have kind of chosen, just took a different take on it this year because I don't know if it had been a popularity contest or just kind of based on who people know names. I mean, we had so many new faces this year that came in. I just left it open. I think it's allowed everyone to own their. Themselves and what they're doing, the accountability to their. Their side of the ball and their position group, and, of course, the team. And so, you know, like you said, defensively, I mean, we lose our captains from, you know, across the board on both sides. But TK And Deontay Lawson, you know, two very experienced and profile guys. But we also defensive backfield, pretty much almost all returning other than Damani. You know, Jackson and the front, you know, got some good, stable guys. Yon Ze Pierre coming back, and, you know, some other guys that have come in that have those leadership qualities. Caleb Woodson and Terence Green and. Tompkins coming in. You know, those guys are leaders already, you know, fitting in along with Bray Hubbard. So it's fun to see them all coming together and meshing offensively. I know that's the question that you're really wondering. And Ryan. Ryan Williams is really the guy that, you know, really is taking the most snaps on our team. Michael Carroll would probably be next, your quarterback, with the, you know, the competition we got going there, you know, you'd like to have that guy be the established leader, and that's not the case. But both of them are doing such an amazing job, even in the midst of that competition, doing exactly that. So I feel good about the competition that exists, helping elevate everyone and what they're trying to get done each and every day on the football field, especially on the offensive side.
- [15:58]
Julian Edelman
This is Julian Edelman from Dudes on Dudes with Gronk and Jewels. All right, real quick, take a look at yourself right now.
- [16:04]
Interviewer
Why?
- [16:05]
Commercial Announcer
What's wrong?
- [16:05]
Julian Edelman
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- [16:51]
Nick Saban
Past the Firecracker Popsicle flavor.
- [16:53]
Julian Edelman
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- [17:10]
Commercial Announcer
Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, llc. SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete Disclosures available@public.comDisclosures have you heard about Klarna?
- [18:13]
Podcast Host
Klarna is an app designed to make everyday spending simpler and more transparent. It gives you flexibility to decide how you want to pay, whether that's paying right away, paying later, or spreading payments over time, depending on what works best for you. Everything is managed in the Klarna app so you can keep track of purchases and stay organized. You can also discover deals and even earn cash back when you shop through the Klarna app with participating brands. It's all about flexibility and staying in control of how and when you pay. Download the Klarna app today or visit klarna.com to learn more. Terms Apply California Resident Loans made or arranged pursuant to a California Finance law license NMLS number 1353190 Klarna balance account required to be eligible for cashback points. Limitations, terms and conditions apply. Wasn't that delicious? So good.
- [19:13]
Nick Saban
Your bill, ladies. I got it. No, I got it.
- [19:18]
Podcast Host
Seriously, I insist.
- [19:19]
Nick Saban
I insisted first.
- [19:20]
Podcast Host
Don't be silly. You don't be silly.
- [19:22]
Interviewer
People with the Wells Fargo Active Cash
- [19:24]
Nick Saban
Credit card prefer to pay because they earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases. Okay.
- [19:29]
Podcast Host
Rock, paper, scissors for it.
- [19:31]
Nick Saban
Rock, paper, scissors.
- [19:32]
Podcast Host
Shoot.
- [19:32]
Nick Saban
No. The Wells Fargo Active Cash credit card. Visit Wells Fargo.com ActiveCash terms apply.
- [19:42]
Interviewer
Well, let me ask you this. So, I mean, everybody who follows college football is pretty dialed into the Alabama quarterback competition right now, but they're just focused on it in terms of who's going to win the job, who's going to take the first snap. Week one, which I care about, too. Everyone. You care about that. Everyone cares about it. But you're also talking about the whole leadership factor there and the fact that most teams out there, like I know, Arch Manning starting for Texas, I know that's an offensive leader on that team. That's the normal dynamic of a team. You're talking. You're talking about a competition going on. And in an ideal world, we've already got a guy here who is the leader. But that's not the way it is right now. How much does that impact the way as a head coach that you make decisions that, you know, all right, it's time to make a call on this thing.
- [20:28]
Nick Saban
Yeah, we got to choose the best one when we, when we really know. And I think that's going to be something that probably drags on to the fall. You know, we'll see. We. We declared Ty the starter a little bit earlier than I probably would anticipated a year ago. You know, we are. We're always talking about it as well and just each day in practice, you know, making sure we're communicating as a coaching staff. But, you know, I really credit coach Grub, Brian Ellis now as a quarterbacks coach and going to give some props to Nick Sherrod on how that room operates, and it was with Ty last year and now it's without him. But, you know, Keelan and Austin and the respect, really the way they appear to care for each other, I think is pretty genuine. They've got me fooled if it's not in a, in a big way, but they, they lead not together because they're different, but they, they really are leading this team. And when they're out there, both sides of the ball, I think really appreciate how they've approached it. Team first, but they also are doing their part to, to lead this football team as we need. And the offense in particular, with so many new linemen and a couple other guys and you know, the backfield that some guys to step up. You know, I really appreciate what Austin and Keelin are doing right now in their leadership role. And at some point there's going to be a hard time for one of them, you know, when we do decide and move forward with the starter.
- [21:57]
Interviewer
You've been around the block several times on just coaching the game. I know sometimes if you're not careful, you can kind of take for granted that what you know is what, what other people know. But if you're dealing with a 19 year old player, they don't know much of anything because they've not experienced it before. So like you're thinking to yourself, all right, whoever finishes number two in that quarterback battle, it's their job to A, B, C, D and E. Here's how they should think, here's how they should block out the noise. In the meantime, you know, all of those things. How careful do you have to be not to take for granted that they just know that too? And to continue to hammer home over and over and over again what you would consider basics and fundamentals. But it's not for them. This is their first time through it.
- [22:44]
Nick Saban
Yeah, well, first of all, I know whoever doesn't isn't named the starters and be crushed. Right. You know, and that's just human nature and especially with these guys, how competitive they are. But I also have, have a high level of confidence in knowing how they're going to respond because I know the character and I know that they, they know that there's a way that they can still see themselves being great and they know they got to be ready to go, you know, if you don't win that job. And so, you know, they'll be supported by their teammates. I have no doubt about that. And our coaching staff, and we'll help them through that. But you know, the quarterback position in particular, you got to be ready even when you're not named the starter. And so that will be certainly a message that will be discussed and just like across the rest of the board with our team, the starter right away and, and I'm a little bit slower probably to pull the trigger, you know, with the next quarterback when they're struggling through some things because I think there's a lot more to it than just that quarterback. And but I think that there's always competition. You name the starter and I don't care if it's linebacker, offensive line here at Alabama, you're that starter. You better keep, keep the pedal down, you better keep working because the next guy's, you know, working really hard to try to overtake. And that's what competition does. It makes us all better.
- [24:07]
Interviewer
Your own process, professional life, personal life. What do you think's changed the most about the way you personally go about doing things just in the three years that you've been here?
- [24:19]
Nick Saban
Well, I think there's more of the staff understanding, you know, where they have the, the freedom to do things, you know, make decisions. I guess probably in particular they understand what I'm going to prioritize and you know, what I'm probably not going to be in favor of and they don't go down that road as much. But we're always trying to, I think professionally always trying to grow and evolve and times are changing. Whether it's the big landscape of college football and we're talking about the portal and nil, we always got to be thinking outside the box, I guess. You know, you ask them what changes. I, I'd like to think that I'm continuing to listen to my staff as much as I feel like they do a good job of trying to do what I'm. My plan is and what I'm hoping for. I think that paying attention to the smart coaches that are on this, on this part of this staff that have really good ideas and have seen it done different ways, that I'm always open to that and that they can bring that up and that they know that, that, you know, they bring it up, they're not going to be looked at a certain way that, you know, I'll process it. Doesn't mean we'll do it right now, doesn't mean we'll ever do it. But whatever can make us better. I'm always open for. The ego's not going to get in the way.
- [25:38]
Interviewer
What's that battle in your mind? Like if your instinct is telling you steadfastly, I need to do it this way. And then a whole bunch of people you trust are like, like in unison saying the same thing. I think you need to do it the other way.
- [25:54]
Nick Saban
Oh yeah. There's a stubborn side to. I know me and all of us, especially when you've had success, as you mentioned, doing it certain ways. But you know, there's. There's things that we've done not with practice, but even the pre practice and stuff that just, you know, seem to make sense and it's new and with our schedules allow us to do that where maybe in the past we couldn't. And you know, that's some of it too. What you can do now you couldn't do before you got to evolve. And you know that that means anything from the rules that allow us to do certain walkthroughs things during the summer, you know, working with the players that you couldn't do five years ago or 10 years ago, for sure. You know, we're just got to constantly be thinking outside the box on how our guys learned, you know, what's the best use of time? How are we. How are the guys as far as their, you know, their mindset and especially just, you know, are we. We push our guys hard, you know, is there too much sometimes? And, you know, I've always probably felt like if you. If you really don't want it, you know, then, you know, you'll. You'll. If you do want it, you're going to put in the work. But I think there is a time too, where the season is long and you got to figure out how to play it from beginning to end. You know, we didn't start fast at the beginning of the year. You know, why is that? You know, we're continuing to evaluate those things, and probably sometimes I make sure that the staff, you know, who's trying to own it and trying to figure out how they can make it better, that they don't overthink it too, you know, where you don't make drastic changes and you do stay the course because it has proven to work. But again, every year is different.
- [27:34]
Interviewer
Last year, so a lot of stuff's different for a lot of reasons, which we've talked about over the last 10 or 20 minutes. Last year was kind of unique in that because of when national signing day was and because of the way the calendar was. A lot of places that wanted to make a coaching move ended up doing it in, like, October, which we're not used to seeing, which meant the speculation that's normally saved for late November, early December was all throughout October. By Halloween, people had had their name mentioned with other jobs multiple weeks. So you got pulled into that whole hurricane of rumors and stuff like that. First off, did it surprise you the volume that had during the season last year?
- [28:12]
Nick Saban
I mean, I guess we're mainly talking the end of November and into December. And yeah, I mean, I think coaches, you know, that have had success and, you know, are always going to be pulled. You just kind of assume it's going to be that way. And so I can't say it surprised me. What I do appreciate is how our team, I think, learned from blocking out the noise and other things that happened, happened to us through the year and how they just applied it to that situation that we were in in that moment. I mean, I guess I could be fooled that it wasn't affecting Them, I think they would have let me know. They know that there's open lines of communication, but we continue to forge on and, you know, I think there's enough documentation of kind of where it stood and how. I was pretty focused on this team and this program and, you know, looking forward to what lies ahead, not just last year, but in the future.
- [29:06]
Interviewer
I think a normal person working a 9 to 5 job out there, they watch what you went through last year. You're not the only one who went through it. Like there were a few other guys that were going through that and they remained where they were and then come what may, they look at it and their logic is, well, if someone's saying something about me, I'm just going to address every little things that's been said about me. And in your world it's totally different because there are thousands and thousands of thousands of people saying stuff about you, so you can't always address it. What I'm asking is, how do you balance that? That A, I need to be accountable to my team first and foremost. B, I gotta block out a lot of this stuff because it serves no one's interest to address every little rumor. But C, sometimes I do need to say something because in the absence of me saying something, it's a net negative. That's right in how it's going to impact the team. Like where. How does your mind work on that stuff?
- [29:58]
Nick Saban
Yeah, I guess I feel, you know, I'm just not going to react because like you said, so there's so many responses, there's so many. There's so many people talking until you really feel like you have to. And it's affecting the building, players, coaches, staff. When it gets to that point, then I feel it does need to be addressed. And I feel that there's enough people here that, that I trust that would have let me know. And I asked even kind of the first go around with, you know, rumors that were out there. I did ask our captains, a couple of our captains, and they said the team was in a good place. And I think that let them also know and, and that the door was always open to, to make sure they let me know if there's something I need to talk about with them. And I think the same thing with our staff too. You know, there's a, there's, there's another Sammy. Our entire staff had people that were coming after him too. It's not just about me. It's about, you know, guys that are, are working in as coordinators and as position coaches. You know, assistants to the position coaches. And so that was going on a little earlier with more places because of the cycle that you're talking about for a lot of our staff, because a lot of people look to the best coaches, and I feel like we got the great coaches here, the greatest coaches here at Alabama.
- [31:18]
Interviewer
You know, you're mentioning something there that never gets talked about. Everyone's focused on if there's a rumor about you. But also something that happens is every year, several guys on your staff get opportunities elsewhere, and then your phone blows up, up in an unexpected way, and that is people trying to use the connection they have with you to get in the door on a guy's staff who just left your staff. And that's this whole different wave of clutter or distraction. But how prevalent is that when someone takes a job elsewhere and then, ding, ding, ding, ding, hey, can you put me in contact with so and so I want to get in the door up there?
- [31:54]
Nick Saban
Yeah. Well, whether it's internally, I mean, pretty much, if our whole staff wanted to go somewhere, they could have gone somewhere last year. You know, they're just, just, again, highly sought after. And, you know, I appreciate the guys the way they were, continue to stay focused and stayed where they were at in the present, where their feet are at. And, you know, it's, It's. It's a, you know, they look at it and I try to remind them and that it goes for me, too, that it's, It's. It's an honor and, you know, it shows us a lot about the respect people have towards you when you do get reached out to. And I'm going to always, you know, I got to this spot somehow, too, and got opportunities to move around as a coordinator even before becoming a head coach again, thanks to, you know, people who reached out and, you know, when guys give me everything they have, or I should say guys, but anyone on the staff gives me everything they have, which this staff does, and the right opportunities come up, man, how can you not just give them the blessing and be happy for them? And, you know, to me, what goes around comes around, you know, and when you treat people right, you know, I've had staff members that go and come back when you handle it the right way and handle your business right, and you're locked in and not focus on trying to get to the next place as fast as you can. You know, our staff does it the right way, and I appreciate that. And so, you know, keeping good relationships with those guys that actually do move on and being Excited for them is something I'm. I'm really proud of.
- [33:23]
Julian Edelman
This is Julian Edelman from Dudes on Dudes with Gronk and Jewels. All right, real quick, take a look at yourself right now.
- [33:29]
Nick Saban
Why?
- [33:29]
Commercial Announcer
What's wrong?
- [33:30]
Julian Edelman
Nothing's wrong. You look like a guy running on three hours of sleep and vibes. Okay. Yeah, I'm tired, kind of cranky, and very thirsty. Congrats. Those are some of the potential signs of mild dehydration. And I bet your last bathroom break showed you another sign your body might be throwing you a penalty flag.
- [33:52]
Nick Saban
So what's the play?
- [33:52]
Julian Edelman
Call Liquid IV Hydration Multiplier. One stick in water helps hydrate faster than water alone. Okay, but where's the proof? Liquid IV's clinical studies. Not just a guy I know real science results you can trust. Well, take a look at me now. Liquid IV is officially part of my daily hydration routine.
- [34:16]
Nick Saban
Pass the firecracker Popsicle flavor.
- [34:18]
Julian Edelman
Stay hydrated like a pro, not like Jack before this. Stock up on Liquid IV hydration multiplier@liquid-iv.com and use the promo code nuthouse for 20 off your first purchase.
- [34:35]
Commercial Announcer
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- [35:36]
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- [36:08]
Interviewer
Your bill, ladies.
- [36:09]
Nick Saban
I got it. No, I got it.
- [36:12]
Podcast Host
Seriously, I insist.
- [36:13]
Nick Saban
I insisted.
- [36:14]
Commercial Announcer
First,
- [36:17]
Interviewer
people with the Wells Fargo Active Cash credit card prefer to pay because
- [36:21]
Nick Saban
they earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases. Okay.
- [36:24]
Podcast Host
Rock, paper, scissors for it.
- [36:26]
Nick Saban
Rock, paper, scissors.
- [36:27]
Podcast Host
Shoot.
- [36:27]
Nick Saban
No. The Wells Fargo Active Cash credit card.
- [36:31]
Interviewer
Visit Wells Fargo.com ActiveCash terms apply. A lot of people talked about the quarterback thing. We have too. A lot of people have talked about the run game. We have two. Outside of those two things. What through the spring practice that you've had so far, do you see that excites you the most about the potential of this year's group?
- [36:52]
Nick Saban
Well, I think that's a good question because everyone's talking about the areas where you get concerned, especially the fan base, right? You're gonna. And internally that's the same way for us too. It's like, how do we make sure that we can improve in this area? I think you also gotta make sure that you keep your strengths, your strengths. And there's some areas that we have returning that, that you know, like the defensive backfield just really most of the guys returning and then we continue to add depth. I think from a special team standpoint. A year ago we lost a lot of. I know that we lost a kicker, snapper, punter, but we also, we also lost a lot of the guys that are going down to make tackles and blocking on punt return. And those guys went to the Portal. We lost 20 some guys a year ago after the 24 season. We actually lost more guys the Portal that year than we did this year, even though we were praised for the retention and that was mostly because of the spring portal. So I like where we're at there with a lot of our special teams impact players being back that, you know, know the techniques that know the schemes and things like that, so we can continue on there. But I like our, you know, like the direction our receiving corps has. I think we've made some nice additions, whether it's high school or transfer portal additions that have stepped in, shown some explosiveness. We're going to miss a guy like Jeremy Bernard big time, but we're going to, we're going to have some guys that we've recruited that are ready to step up and excited about their opportunity. So, you know, that's, that's what building a team is about. I think I've always felt like you're trying to reestablish your culture every single year within the program. That is something that's probably harder to do now. Probably one of the hardest it's ever been for me, because you do coming back anyway, when you go to a program for the first year, yeah, you're doing that from scratch, but with so many new faces, it'll be over. Probably 45 new scholarship guys when it's all said and done here in, in the summer. And so, you know, reestablishing that culture, what, what, you know, what we want to look like when adversity hits and how we're going to respond. That's a big part of it, really. You're just building a new team every year now within the program. And that's, that's been a fun challenge. I think a lot of our staff has looked at, including myself.
- [39:21]
Interviewer
This is a, a concept that I don't think always connects with the public. Like I'm on the outside looking at. I just want to know everything. Like, I want to know what you have. I want to know returning starters, I want to be able to grade every unit and I want to know that as soon as possible. But you're talking about really the spirit of what a coach is, which is a teacher. And sometimes with that, you grant, hey, we don't know everything in spring. In fact, there's a ton we don't know. And the follow up is, by the way, we kind of love that because that's what gives you the juice as a teacher. That's what excites you about going to work every day. And I, I really wish you talk a little bit more, if you will, about question marks actually being motivators, especially this time of year.
- [40:04]
Nick Saban
Yeah. And you know, the one thing I appreciate about our team right now is that there's been a. Just a steadiness and I can't say the trajectory is like this, which you'd love it for it to be steep, but I do know that it's not gone like this and it's been always moving forward and the last three practices as guys get more comfortable with just even how we practice, the tempo of practice, but get more comfortable with the schemes and you know, what the coaching, the coaches and how they work with you, what that looks like and feels like, I just, I just love the direction we're going with These guys, again, long ways to go. I think our coaches have certainly always reassessing every year, but had to really look at like, how can we make it look like a lot but keep it minimal? Can we get it look like a lot for our opponent but keep it minimal for us as far as what we have to learn until we can really get, you know, the infrastructure in with our, our, our plans, our schemes and we can really assess what we have. Especially with the portal guys who, you know, I don't want to call it speed dating, but you know, you got to know them pretty quickly. And some of these guys we did know while they were in high school school. We did recruit some of them at that time and know a little bit more. But there's some guys also we're, we're trying to bring along and we're excited about their growth and, and some of them are living beyond what we probably expected or we feel that, you know, what their potential and ceiling was. They're on their way to accomplishing at least that. So I love seeing these high school, these high school guys come in. They're eager and, and you know, the guys that were maybe first or second year players that red shirted or didn't get much playing time, they're stepping in and now it's their time. And with those 16 seniors that we had, you know, that's why you recruited them. That's why we planned for, you know, some offensive linemen to be gone in the last year's class and having to replace it with some young guys that were ready to go. So the challenge is real. That's what's great about coaching, you know, and got a great staff around me. That's always again thinking how to make
- [42:14]
Interviewer
things better when you get transfers in here. Specifically like you got a center that came from Cal Poly, so you're not watching film of him compete against Big 10 SEC competition. How long do you have to have them on campus before you realize in your head we hit on this or man may not have quite gotten what we thought we got there. How many practices in the spring does that take?
- [42:37]
Nick Saban
Yeah, I think there's a little bit of everything, right. It's, it's improvement in strength and a nutrition plan. And this isn't just about racing. It's about this multiple guys that maybe got opportunities that coming from smaller schools. But Josh Cuevas was a guy, you know, that I think proved exactly that. And we could tell, we could tell in the spring, you know, there's a physicality that stuck out with him. And, you know, you're brought up racing, and that's. That's certainly the case in the weight room. You know, you could see the growth that he had there, and you can see on the football field that the processing of the calls that he had to make to get us going, it didn't take that long for him to. To get it started. And, you know, everyone's trusting him already. And then there's the physicality part and technical part, and, you know, not just holding his own, but, you know, what are you doing to help our offensive line be. Be better and a lot better than what we were a year ago. And so not just him, but other guys that you get excited about when you see, man, okay, they got the mindset, like, they're determined, like, they're driven. Like they're driven to be. To do great things. And, you know, they also appreciate. They appreciate what they have here. They appreciate that's not just these guys. It's a lot of these transfers coming in. Appreciate what Alabama has to offer, whether it's the resources in the training room, the weight room, the nutrition, the coaching that they're getting and, you know, the way that we respect them and push them at the same time and, you know, hold them accountable. That balancing act there, that coach to player relationship that you want. I love how our guys that have come in at this point anyway, have taken that on and appreciate and have an attitude of gratitude.
- [44:25]
Interviewer
Last thing I wanted to hit you with was when you come off the way your season ended, it ends so emphatically that you still have a lot to do. Like, you got a portal class, like, you got immediate things on your plate, but eventually you got some time to reassess or decompress. And you're looking back and you're saying, I didn't like that. None of us liked that. What kind of effort do you make to make sure something is taken from that? You want to learn lessons from every experience. But, like, what specifically from that Indiana Rose bowl result did you want to make sure was hammered home to you, but everybody in this building. Building?
- [45:00]
Nick Saban
Yeah. I mean, we've hit on a lot of the things. They ran it down the. They ran it at us, you know, you know, the run game improved for them as the game went along. We struggled to run. I mean, it's not just in that game, but, you know, I think, again, they made big plays in critical moments. That was something we prided ourselves on, and I think we were pretty good at it a year ago. But the end of the first half, the last part of the second quarter, you know, they stretch their lead. That's what experienced teams do. And we got to continue to work on those things. We won games because of that, that one in that part of the game that separated us and certainly, you know, us and what we had done together, I think we still had a belief that we can come out of that locker room and especially with the ball, do some things. But we could just never, we could never get it going. And so we didn't have much time to think. I mean, on the way home we're already thinking portal and you know, the next day it opened and you know, I think when we were on the road recruiting the coordinators, being able to be around and work with the new players coming in and trying to think about what we, I think, to answer your question, experienced in the season in the Rose bowl and also what we had here in front of us now, the guys working out at the time, you know, body types, skill sets, all of that, kind of like formulating the plan, the things you got to tweak, the things you wanted to be better at. Your personnel allow it. Do they not allow it? We gotta go a different direction. We got enough coaches that have done it enough different ways. You're constantly, you know, again, making it fit your personnel. And there's some changes that are, are both sides of the ball have incorporated in, in addition to the stuff that we did well that are always going to be a part of our identity.
- [46:56]
Interviewer
Coach, we appreciate it.
- [46:57]
Nick Saban
Yeah, thank you. Appreciate you being here.
- [47:13]
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- [47:55]
Nick Saban
NY or text hopeny in New York. You know how it's never really about
- [47:59]
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- [48:01]
Nick Saban
The right people can turn any drive into a great memory that's something Toyota really believes. They design vehicles around real life and
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Commercial Announcer
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Interviewer
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Nick Saban
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Nick Saban
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Nick Saban
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Nick Saban
all a bit tired of numbers. But here's an important one you need to hear. $16 billion.
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Nick Saban
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Nick Saban
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Nick Saban
Visit lifelock.com iheart Terms apply this is
- [49:04]
Julian Edelman
Julian Edelman from Dudes on Dudes with Gronk and Jules.
- [49:08]
Nick Saban
I don't know why everyone keeps asking.
- [49:09]
Julian Edelman
I feel totally fine. You had two coffees, no water, and you're mad at the chair you're sitting on. The chair started it. You're probably dehydrated. Your body might be throwing you a penalty flag.
- [49:19]
Nick Saban
So hydration matters.
- [49:20]
Julian Edelman
Even when it's not game day, hydration matters every day. That's why I use Liquid IV Hydration Multiplier. One stick in water helps hydrate faster than water alone.
- [49:32]
Nick Saban
Hold up.
- [49:32]
Julian Edelman
It's legit, clinically tested, backed by a scientific advisory board. Say less. Pass me the pina colada flavor. Stay hydrated. Stock up on Liquid IV Hydration Mold Multiplier@liquidiv.com and use the promo code Nuthouse for 20% off your first order.
- [49:51]
Podcast Host
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