Last week, Alabama coach Nick Saban sent a strong message to TE Jahleel Billingsley and the rest of the Crimson Tide players, ranting during a press conference that his program “is not a democracy.”

The message was clear — even the would-be stars have to work hard to keep their spots on the depth chart.

That sort of attitude impresses ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit. Herbstreit took to Twitter over the weekend to acknowledge that Saban’s message is part of what makes the Alabama program so great:

Saban knows how to use the media to send messages to his team, and this was a classic case of that.

Whether it hits its mark with Billingsley and other Alabama players remains to be seen, but Herbstreit is on board with the approach Saban has taken.