Nick Saban: Social media something Alabama helps its players navigate

College football has changed quite a bit in recent years, from the introduction of the NCAA transfer portal to the early signing period to name, image and likeness (NIL) reform. One thing all of those have in common? Social media’s increasing popularity has added gasoline to the mix.

No longer can coaches just adopt a bunker mentality and hope their players are focusing on the right things.

Just ask Nick Saban, who now has staffers dedicated to monitoring social media feeds and helping players navigate the challenges of having opinions constantly thrown your way, sometimes even when you don’t want them.

“We try to do it through education and counseling,” Saban said Wednesday on an SEC teleconference call. “I think the players have become more and more open to this type of help. I think at least in our program they’ve developed a trust for these people because there’s a significant number of people through the years regardless of how significant their issue has been they’ve been helped by this.”

Lack of playing time?

There’s someone on social media screaming Player X should be getting more snaps.

Bad game?

There’s someone on social media screaming Player Y never should have been offered a scholarship.

And those are just the fan/analyst-to-player interactions. Sometimes the social media snafus aren’t limited to just us vs. them interactions, as even players from the same teams sometimes get caught in the crossfire with each other. It can be a lot to deal with.

‘Bama helps players manage social media, Nick Saban says

If there’s one thing that’s become abundantly clear in college football over the last couple decades it’s that virtually nothing slips undetected by Nick Saban. Social media?

Of course he has a plan in place to deal with that.

“We don’t seem to have an issue with that,” Saban said. “I think it’s because the players have built a trust in the people who are involved.”

The winning might help, too. Either way, Saban is well aware social media is something that can impact your program if you’re not aware of the potential consequences it can have.

Itchy Twitter fingers?

Not at Alabama. Not on Saban’s watch.