Nick Saban is getting a different perspective on the college football world since retiring as the Alabama football coach.
The ESPN analyst has been busy all week at SEC Media Days in Dallas. Right from the start, he jumped in with both feet, predicting Georgia and Texas to meet in the conference’s championship game. As we learned Wednesday, his former Tide players are aware of his pick.
“I got kind of criticized today by some of my former players that I didn’t pick them to be in the SEC Championship Game, but they need to understand that’s counter rat poison,” Saban said on SportsCenter, per On3.
But, as he pointed out, there may have been a method to his madness.
“I never wanted to get picked first,” he said of his 17 years in Tuscaloosa. “I always wanted to be the underdog. This was counter rat poison. I hope they understand that.”
It didn’t seem as Alabama players were critical of Saban for his comments. Earlier in the day, offensive guard Tyler Booker laughed when talking on the topic.
“He would get mad at me if I felt that way about what he said,” Booker said. “He always used to say, ‘Don’t let somebody who lives in their mom’s basement determine how you feel.’ So I’m not gonna let a guy who plays golf all day determine how I feel.”
In discussing areas of potential improvement in this year’s Tide, Saban - and others, like Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer - points to the secondary.
Alabama defensive back Malachi Moore acknowledges the inexperience with the group, but also smiled when hearing Saban’s prediction.
“It’s so quick to see Coach Saban take on another role other than being Coach Saban,” he said, per ESPN.com, “but he has a job to do, and he’s entitled to his own opinion. But yeah, we heard him.”
And Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe?
“All we want to do is focus on us and worry about us,” Milroe said. “We still love Coach, it’s all good.”
Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.