Nick Saban: Everybody is concerned about the state of college football

There’s no denying the era of change that we’re in when it comes to college athletics. It has come with its high highs and low lows but, in general, Alabama’s Nick Saban says everyone is just trying to tread carefully within these new spaces.

Saban commented on rule changes and the overall state of college football back at the end of May. He said there’s obviously concern for where the sport is at in some aspects but added that the main focus is to continue to emphasize the right things while also keeping things fair across the board.

“I think everybody’s concerned about ‘the state’ of college football right now in terms of the transfer portal, NIL,” Saban said. “How do we put some parameters on some of the things that are happening? And some of the things that can create a competitive advantage or disadvantage for certain schools?”

“It’s not the same for everybody, which is one thing that we’ve always tried to make college football,” said Saban. “We’re still trying to emphasize the fact that you go to college to create value for your future. And developing as a person and a student, developing a career off the field, developing a career on the field? Those are still the things that are most valuable to the future. And those are the things we try to emphasize at our program so people want to still become part of it.”

College sports have done a full 180 over the last few seasons with the implentation of the portal as well as name, image, and likeness. There’s been an adjustment period for everyone involved in it but, at this point, that adjustment is still very much ongoing for many.

In Saban’s opinion, NIL remains a very positive addition considering what it means for the athletes. Even so, he wants to continue to keep the main thing as the main thing while also avoiding the illegitimate things that could come with it.

“I think it’s great that players can make money on name, image, and likeness,” Saban said. “I just think we’ve got to be careful about getting to pay for play and how that could impact the game.”

Saban weighs in on SEC’s decision to play 8-game league slate in 2024

Greg Sankey is the SEC Commissioner. But Nick Saban is perhaps the front-facing General. During times of conflict, the General’s voice matters.

On June 1, The SEC announced conference teams will play an 8-game league schedule in 2024 with no divisions. Twenty-four hours later, the 71-year-old Alabama head coach gave his thoughts on the matter.

“There’s some issues going to nine games. The future schedules that we’ve put together, we’re trying to play two Power Five schools each year. Along with the SEC schedule,” Saban said on Friday.

The eight-game schedule is controversial, considering the SEC’s upcoming additions. In 2024, Oklahoma and Texas will join the conference, totaling 16 teams. The programs are joining the storied conference one year ahead of the original schedule.

Thus, the league hasn’t had a surplus of time to deal with the groundbreaking change. While SEC teams will play eight conference games in 2024, Saban wouldn’t be surprised if the format changes.

“Eventually, we’ll probably move to more involvement and more SEC games. I think this has happened so quickly it’s really hard to make a lot of changes that fast. Whatever it is, we’re excited,” Saban said.