When discussing Texas’ chances to make an impact in the SEC this season on Wednesday, the SEC Network panel mentioned Georgia, Alabama and the NFL’s New England Patriots as teams that have reached the level to which the Longhorns are aspiring as they enter a new league.
To illustrate the point of “playing to a standard,” Nick Saban — in his first year as an ESPN/SEC Network analyst — told a story about former Crimson Tide wide receiver Julio Jones returning to his alma mater several years after his playing career. Jones was Saban’s first great recruit in 2008, and helped Alabama win the 2009 national championship before embarking on an All-Pro career with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.
“We were having 7-on-7 in the summer and coaches are not allowed to be out there,” Saban said. “So Julio Jones happened to be there rehabbing (an injury); he hadn’t played there for 10 years. This was probably 2019. … And Julio is watching 7-on-7, the receiver drops the ball, kicks the ball, cusses the quarterback, gets into it with the (defensive back) that was guarding him.
“Julio called the guy over and said ‘that’s not how we do it here.’ He hadn’t played there for 10 years, but still he understood the culture and how things got done. … That becomes a part of the program. I think that’s what Kirby (Smart) has been able to do with Georgia and that’s what (Steve Sarkisian) is trying to do at Texas.”