There isn’t a college football program in the country that’s built up a better alumni base over the last decade than Alabama. This week, Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban said he recently sat down with one of those alums — former Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain.

“We’re always just excited when the guys can come back,” Saban said during his appearance on the Hey Coach & The Nick Saban Show on Thursday. “I love to talk to these guys and I love to hear their opinions about things, and I love to hear what they have to say because sometimes it affects maybe something that we should change because of their perspective of having been in the program, having played in the NFL and all those types of things.

“Like I had a sitdown conversation with Rolando McClain the other day, and he was just trying to come up some helpful way to be able to help the young linebackers. He was just wanting to be helpful, so I really appreciate the fact that those guys feel like a part of the program, that we’re here for them if they need us and that they’re proud that they’ve been here.”

Alabama is currently starting two freshmen at linebacker, Shane Lee and Christian Harris, so receiving some advice from a player as accomplished as McClain should really help. McClain started eight games during his first year on campus at Alabama and finished that season with 74 tackles, including 5.0 tackles for loss, two interceptions and a sack.

In three years with the Crimson Tide, McClain recorded 274 total tackles, 8.0 sacks and five interceptions. He became an All-American linebacker and went eighth overall in the 2010 NFL Draft.