Nick Saban expressed a welcoming approach to Oklahoma and Texas joining the SEC beginning in the 2024-25 season.

During the most recent edition of his radio show, Saban spoke to his support of the Big 12 powers entering the conference.

“I think it’s great for the SEC. I think it’s great for the fans. One of the things that I really like about the way we’ve expanded our conference is we did not change the geographic footprint for our fans,” Saban said. “We have 2 really quality programs and great teams with great fan bases and traditions. But we didn’t really change the footprint of the conference.”

Saban reiterated that the proximity to each program is a benefit. This comes in contrast of the ACC welcoming SMU, Stanford and Cal.

“It’s not going to be inconvenient at all for the competition or the players or the fans to be able to stay engaged in what’s happening in the league,” Saban said.

Saban added that the new scheduling format is another positive now that Oklahoma and Texas are involved.

“The way we’re going to do our 7-team rotation, 1-team fixed. You’re going to play everybody every 4 years,” Saban said. “So almost every guy at your school is going to get to play every team in the conference, which I think is great as well.”

No. 11 Alabama will take on visiting Arkansas this Saturday (12 p.m. EST/ESPN).