Former Alabama analyst Major Applewhite explains why Nick Saban's success can't be duplicated
Nick Saban is one of the greatest coaches in the history of sports, not just in college football.
The Alabama coach has won 6 titles with the Crimson Tide, 7 overall. He’s coming off an undefeated 2020 season that ended with a rout of Ohio State in the College Football Playoff title game.
Former Alabama analyst Major Applewhite is leaving to be the offensive coordinator at South Alabama, but he learned a lot from Saban. During an appearance on 105.5 WNSP this week, Applewhite explained why it won’t be easy to copy Saban’s recipe for success (via 247Sports):
“You can try to emulate Coach all you want, but you’re not gonna be able do it,” Applewhite said. “His focus is incredible. His patience is incredible as a human being. I think he’d probably be the same way as a businessman. There’s a lot of stuff thrown at you as a head coach, from the field to off the field to interviews to media to player issues. There’s a thousand things that get thrown at you as a head coach daily. You have to go in there with your boxing gloves every day because there’s always something. To see him at a place like Alabama just with such poise, patience and focus on the task at hand, not getting distracted by things, it’s incredible.
“That was a life lesson right there regardless of football. Family life, children, the focus and the patience that he has allows him to just focus on the task at hand, which is his football team.”
It’ll be a long time before we see a coach like Saban again. Now, we’ll see if Applewhite can take what he learned at Alabama and use it to have success at South Alabama.
There is no doubt he is the greatest college HBC not only of this era, but all the others as well.
No doubt Little Nikki is a very, very ,very talented person who is at the right place at the right time.
I can’t wait to see Little Nikki as a broadcast analyst, he’ll be one of the best in that role.
Applewhite didn’t impress me as Alabama’s first offensive coordinator under Saban and was not sad to see him go. But I wish him well at South Alabama.
As for all the Saban haters, you’re just jealous. :-)
Applewhite is right – Saban may be the GOAT, but he just major league stubbed his toe when he hired Bill O’Brien. Hope Nick can control him, otherwise Bama is doomed.