Nick Saban admits he attempted to recruit NiJaree Canady to Alabama before Texas Tech commitment

Nick Saban might not be in the coaching world anymore but he is always willing to help recruit. Not just for Alabama football, either, apparently helping softball’s Patrick Murphy last offseason. When NiJaree Canady entered the NCAA transfer portal, almost everyone was calling her — including Alabama.

Ultimately, Canady landed in Lubbock with Texas Tech. But Saban certainly helped the Crimson Tide make a run at the star pitcher. He revealed on Friday on The Pat McAfee Show that he actually spoke to Canady on the phone.

“I actually talked to her on the phone, trying to recruit her to come to Alabama,” Saban said. McAfee then asked if things changed when Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell got involved in the process. Saban joked, “He’s a much better closer than me.”

Alabama has a great softball tradition of its own, especially under Murphy. Trips to the NCAA Tournament are routine at this point, making every field since 1999. Making it to Oklahoma City for the Women’s College World Series is quite frequent as well, making 15 since the turn of the century.

If they had found a way to land Canady, you have to imagine another appearance would go down on the resume. Maybe even the program’s second-ever national championship. Murphy got Alabama over the finish line in 2012, looking to break the decade-plus streak in the near future.

However, it’s tough to argue against the decision Canady made. Not only is she now one of the more valuable softball players in the country from an NIL standpoint, the on-field results speak for themselves. Canady pitched in 46 games last season, 39 of which were starts. The stats are insane, recording a 1.11 ERA in 240 innings while striking out 319 batters and walking just 46. Opponents finished the year with a batting average against of .161.

Canady picked up the bat every once in a while, too, taking 108 at-bats. Her batting average finished at .278, knocking in 34 RBIs and hitting 11 home runs. All kinds of individual awards followed, both within the Big 12 and on the national level.

So, it’s easy to see why Alabama pulled out the big guns in order to attempt to bring Canady to Tuscaloosa. Saban is as influential as anybody in college athletics, even if there is a sports crossover. As he said, though — it’s tough to compete with Campbell in the recruiting game right now.