The people and the supporters of Alabama do not even have a slight inkling as to what they are going to miss after Nick Saban’s departure. In a sense, he wasn’t just a coach but an ideologue who rose to a stature comparable to a religious figure of a religion that worshipped the colors crimson and white. Saban at Alabama didn’t just surpass the heroics of coach ‘Bear’ Bryant, but established a legacy that spread not just in America but globally.
After a season in 2016 when they lost to Clemson in the Natty final, Saban didn’t just give his verdict in the following press conference. He breathed fire and smoked journalists like a steak purposefully burned on a barbecue. “I’m trying to get our players to listen to me instead of listening to you guys. All that stuff you write about how good we are. All that stuff they hear on ESPN. It’s like poison. It’s like taking poison. Like rat poison”. Saban’s aversion to showering praise on his players is well known, yet here I am going to commit the same sin.
Saban joined an Alabama team in 2007 that had been little more than an afterthought since the 1990s. Hardly made the news, and when it did, it was for all the wrong seasons. Nick Saban changed all that. A record six national championships and 44 Bama players were drafted in the first round of the draft. The Tides became a sensation, a regular powerhouse whose success was always destined even before the season started. Even with the illustrious career he has had, Saban can hardly be said to be the most ‘pleasant’ coach to work under. So, when the praise came, it would be like those rare droplets of rain in the scorching desert.
Jonathan Allen, the former Alabama defensive tackle, expanded on one of the same rare moments where he said his heart “skipped a beat”. Allen said, “One thing I will never forget; it was like my junior year and I had two sacks in the game. Coach Saban doesn’t give out compliments often, but when he does, you never forget it. I just remember him coming up and being like ‘You played really well’ and walked away and I was like: ‘Wow, that was honestly one of the best feelings in the world’…. I was like ‘Dang right there skipped a beat’ ”.
Allen, who currently plays for the Vikings, played for Alabama from 2013 to 2016 and had some of the best games under Saban. In his Alabama career, he produced one of the finest performances in the 2016 season as Alabama made its way to the national championship. A total of 69 tackles, 33 solo tackles, and 10.5 sacks under Karl Dunbar as the D-line coach, as he won the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy. Before that, he won the national championship at Alabama in 2015 as he produced 36 total tackles and 12 sacks.
The stalwart defensive tackle was selected in the first round of the NFL draft by the Washington Redskins, where he made two times Pro-Ball. But now, he has recently transferred to the Minnesota Vikings in 2025.
What’s next for Alabama in 2025?
Now that Saban has gone and Kalen DeBoer is at the helm, things won’t quite look initially like the classic Alabama. There are QB1 concerns all around after Jalen Milroe’s departure, and questions were raised about DeBoer’s offensive prowess all the time. But, the now Alabama head coach, after a 9-4 finish in his first season, is making inroads and doing everything to at least lay a foundation for success.
For starters, Alabama’s 2025 class looks to be well-polished and quite illustrious, as it is ranked 3rd nationally. It has several high-profile players like Michael Carroll (5-star IOL), Dijon Lee (5-star CB), and Jackson Lloyd (OT), who is ranked 7th nationally in his position. In the transfer market, the former Washington head coach has also done well. He has roped in Nikhai Hill-Green (LB) from the Colorado Buffaloes and Isaiah Horton (WR) from Miami, among others. Both of these players look to provide the added flair that is needed in Alabama.
Isaiah Horton, for instance, had 616 receiving yards last year, combining with Cam Ward. Nikhai Hill-Green had a whopping 82 tackles and 2 sacks as he helped Deion Sanders produce his first winning season. However, the most important player to watch will be Keelon Russell, the ace QB is ranked 2nd nationally and is widely touted to give a challenge to Ty Simpson’s QB1 spot.
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