Nick Saban admitted he lit into the team on Thursday

Alabama head coach Nick Saban is credited with being one of the greatest Xs and Os minds in college football history. Perhaps the most understated element of Saban’s highly decorated coaching acumen is his remarkable understanding of human psychology and how that affects his players.

He understands human nature with an incredible amount of clarity, efficiency, and simplicity. On Saban’s show Thursday, he admitted he lit into his players and he explained why.

Nick Saban is frustrated with human nature and complacency

One of the biggest reasons the Alabama head coach was ranting about complacency was he talked about his players and how when they miss a certain number of meals or classes, they will get put in what’s called a box. Then once they are placed in the box, if they miss any more meals or classes, there is a penalty.

“It’s just amazing to me, and I think we’re all sort of guilty of this to some degree, people respond so much better when bad things happen than when good things happen,” he said. “And I think when good things happen a lot, people have a tendency to get complacent. Complacency breeds a blatant disregard for doing things right. So you’re not doing the little things right. So you’re not creating the right habits.

“And eventually, that catches up with you. And when you don’t have humility, you don’t have enough respect for other people, regardless of who you’re playing. … I actually got on the players today.”

He wouldn’t say what the penalty is, but he noted how frustrated he is that once players are placed in the box, they rarely miss any more meals or classes. His point was essentially, his players should not need a penalty in order to do the right thing the first time.

That’s part of the beauty and the genius of Nick Saban, is his remarkable ability to understand human psychology and how it affects his team from accomplishing their goals. He thinks with a remarkable amount of clarity and efficiency.

Not only does he speak efficiently but he uses his time incredibly efficiently. He’s so focused on using his time efficiently that he eats the same thing for breakfast and lunch every morning. Why? Because it helps him save time on deciding what to eat. He’s a fascinating figure to study, for a number of reasons.

Nick Saban and his Alabama Crimson Tide face off against the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. EST from Tuscaloosa.