Alabama Football: Nick Saban delivers career best coaching performance
By Ronald Evans
Alabama football won its 17th national championship and Nick Saban matched Bear Bryant with six titles because of Saban’s career-best coaching performance.
On Tuesday morning, at the final press event of the College Football Playoff, Alabama football coach Nick Saban repeated his opinion that Bear Bryant is college football’s greatest coach. Too much attention is given to naming GOAT’s throughout sports. Perhaps Nick doesn’t want to encourage more.
More likely, one of college football’s most purposeful thinkers, believes defining ‘the greatest’ is outside his purview. Matching Bryant with six national championships is an incredible accomplishment. Another measurement of Saban’s stature in the game is the comparison of active FBS coaches with national titles.
Three other coaches have national titles: Urban Meyer with three; Jimbo Fisher and Dabo Swinney with one each. Saban’s six surpasses the trio’s combined five national championships. Those three coaches are young enough to catch Nick, but the odds are small.
The more important question in the minds of Alabama football fans is how much longer for Nick. This season’s Iron Bowl loss and some recruiting failures fed an argument that Nick had slipped. Monday night put an end to such foolish conjecture, for now at least.
Younger coaches have been pitching to recruits Nick Saban no longer has the magic. Some of them calling this season’s Playoff as ‘Nick’s Last Stand.’ So much for that contention. Nick Saban is still the King of college football.
At 66-years of age, Nick Saban is arguably a better coach than when he came to Alabama in 2007. Certainly, the 2017 season is Saban’s finest coaching performance. The adversity the 2017 Tide had to overcome was almost too great to win a championship. Saban teaches overcoming adversity better than anyone and those lessons saved the Tide.
First, there was NFL attrition in big numbers. Then came the injuries, so many key players missing so many games and ending seasons. In addition, there were coaching distractions and turnover. New offensive coordinator, Brian Daboll struggled to build a new Tide offense. Defensive coordinator, Jeremy Pruitt, in the heat of a championship run was hired as Tennessee’s head coach. Saban found a way to overcome it all.
At halftime Monday, the prospects of the Tide offense reaching 26 points seemed almost impossible. Nick Saban, known for his conservative coaching approach, chose an extreme course of action. Enter Tua Tagovailoa who had thrown a total of 53 passes in his college career. Via Tua’s arm and aided by a bevy of other talented freshmen, the Tide roared back and secured a place in history. Nick Saban’s team showed no adversity was too great.
Saban is correct to let others debate who is college football’s GOAT. There is no debate who is currently college football’s top coach. It is Nick Saban.
Next: 30 Greatest Games in Crimson Tide Football History
We either have to bump one of the ’30’ or make the post above the ’31’ Greatest games. The 2017 National Championship must be included.