Nick Saban reveals the secret to his longevity at Alabama
In advance of the 2022 NFL Draft, Nick Saban joined ESPN’s First Take as he prepares to watch stars from his Alabama squad see their dreams come true. During the interview, Stephen A. Smith asked the Crimson Tide coach the question on every college football coach, player and fan’s mind — what’s Saban’s secret?
According to the 7-time national champion, it’s as simple as two things.
“The two things that are most important are how do you bring players to your team, and then the second part of that is how do you develop them,” revealed Saban. “So, we’ve had some great coaches here to develop them. We’ve had some very good people to recruit them. And we have a program that really promotes guys having more success in life because they were involved in the program. Whether it’s personal development, academic success, and how they develop as football players.
“So, there’s a lot of value in that. That’s what we try to create for our players, that’s why we get good players and we’ve had really good people to develop them.”
Nobody in college football would argue with Saban’s methods, especially with the results they’ve yielded. Continuing, Smith asked Saban how he specifically has charted the waters of the untamable riptide that is college football.
“I really like what I do,” answered Saban. “I’ve been a part of a team for a long time. It’s a lot of fun to be in a leadership position. You know, every year is a new challenge. You have a new team — it’s almost like taking a new job actually, in-terms of guys having new roles on the team. New people in the organization. So, it’s always a challenge. I like that challenge. I know most of us — and you’re like this to Stephen [A. Smith], I know you well — we complain about the grind, but we love the grind too. And the grind is what keeps us going.
“So, that’s kind of how I feel about it. Really enjoy doing it, and look forward to next season being a tremendous challenge, as well.”
The NFL Draft is one of the most rewarding days of the year for Nick Saban, as he watches athletes he helped mold reach the pinnacle of the football world. Alabama has become the standard-bearer for college football talent under Saban, and that doesn’t figure to change anytime soon.