Nick Saban appreciates all the players he coaches at Alabama, but he has a special affinity for seniors.

Saban shared his thoughts on seniors during his Wednesday press conference ahead of Saturday’s game against Western Carolina, which will also be Senior Day at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

“The guys that have been here and stayed here and value education, wanting to get a degree, continuing to sort of try to develop value by the way they play and develop as players,” Saban told the media, “they become leaders, they’re more mature and they certainly have a great impact and set a great example for some of the younger players, and I do have a great regard for some of those guys.”

Because these players have been at Alabama for so long, Saban pointed out that many had to go through adversity during their college career. He pointed out linebacker Anfernee Jennings, who had a knee injury and underwent surgery near the end of the 2017 season but battled back to be a key player for the Crimson Tide again.

“He didn’t think he was quite as good as he could be last year, and he’s done a fantastic job for us this year,” Saban said. “I think he’s one of the top production guys, and I think he has created value for himself. So, I don’t think there’s enough guys that look long term at the value of being here over an extended period of time, graduating and trying to improve as a player so they create more value for themselves.”

Alabama’s seniors are set to play their final home game on Saturday at noon ET on ESPN.