Published June 29, 2012 - 10:13am
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Rivals.com, the former premier college football rankings site on the internet, recently hosted a camp called the “Rivals 100 Five-Star Challenge”. The camp featured some of the biggest and best prospects from around the country to compete against one another, to ultimately get noticed and increase their ranking.
During the camp, Rivals.com did a survey on about 80 blue-chip recruits in which they asked the recruits to answer several questions about the recruiting process, coaches, etc.
The one question we all care about:
Of all the coaches you’ve talked to, who was the most intimidating?
And the answer of Nick Saban doesn’t surprise anyone, does it?
It was virtually unanimous, as Saban had 30 votes. Lane Kiffin had five votes and Will Muschamp had four.
Lane Kiffin, really?
Here is the snipit from the study:
Saban’s name came up most often when players mentioned which coach intimidated them. His name often came up as soon as the question was asked. And the players often said the exact same thing about him.
He doesn’t smile.
“He doesn’t do any type of grinning, smiling or laughing – none of that,” one player said. “He is what people say he is – strictly business.”
Saban also apparently isn’t much for small talk, according to one prospect.
“He’s been in the elite for a long time and he’s heard it all,” that prospect said. “He just wants to get down to the chase and get to the offer and tell you what he likes and doesn’t like about you. That’s it.”
It wasn’t just Saban’s attitude that made some prospects nervous. Saban’s reputation as the nation’s top coach and his two national titles in the last three years left some recruits star-struck.
“With the background he has, just talking to him was like, ‘Wow, I’m really talking to Nick Saban,’ ” one player said. “It was incredible.”
In other SEC survey news from the camp, Auburn’s Gene Chizik was voted easiest to talk to, while Vanderbilt’s James Franklin was voted as the most persuasive.
The recruits also voted Alabama as the best facilities in the country.
