Just when it seemed at least plausible that Nick Saban could be passed up by the very aspects of college football he would seem to detest, the Alabama head coach has adapted and will very likely become more successful — if that’s even possible.

Saban has already overcome changes that didn’t exactly sit well with the Alabama head coach. Saban didn’t like the hurry-up offense so he adjusted. Saban has showcased some explosive offenses recently that have fatigued his defense. No matter; the Tide have the depth and have upped their conditioning and substitution on defense to handle the constant pressure.

Speaking of offense, Saban used to love a ball control attack. If there was any knock on Saban in his early championship run, it was that he could be a little too conservative in the second half with a lead on his side. That’s not Saban any longer. His offense has proven that it can score with the best of them.

Saban’s also adjusted to college football’s Early Signing Period. Most would have thought Saban would hate such a drastic change to the college football calendar. After all, Saban was doing just fine as it was. Saban simply soldiered on through the change and turned it into a positive for Alabama. That took intelligence, guile and adaptability, but that was just the beginning.

With the Early Signing Period, the Crimson Tide can now secure the foundation of its class while not having to worry about vultures trying to pick it apart. And after the first wave of prospects have signed, Alabama can focus on some late, blue-chip additions that only elevate the class.

Saban’s latest ability to refine his coaching approach may be his most impressive. Saban treats the transfer portal as if it is the chocolate fountain at a Sunday brunch. Does he need it? Not really. Is he full of talent before he even gets to the point of being tempted by just a little more? No, Saban is gluttonous when it comes to having elite talent on his roster. The transfer portal has only helped Saban despite it being about the most non-traditonal aspect of football since tie games were eliminated.

Just or not, college football players were supposed to have zero leverage. If you didn’t like playing at a particular school, too bad. The National Letter of Intent was once a one-way street that seemed to suit Saban and other coaches. After all, players once had to sit out a season, possibly pay for their own school for a year and be influenced by their original school as to where they could end up. Remember when “releasing” a transfer was a thing? That now seems archaic.

Saban would run off players who couldn’t stand him or the years of waiting before they could become productive contributors. On the surface, all of the recent changes in college football would seemingly undermine Saban’s approach. With an open-door policy, surely Alabama would lose talented underclassmen who wanted to see the field immediately. That has happened on occasion with players like quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Alvin Kamara who went elsewhere and had success. However, transfers haven’t stopped Saban nor kept him from staying on the cutting edge. Just look at training camp this season.

Alabama has picked up 2 key players from its rivals. Henry To’o To’o showed flashes for Tennessee before having his fill of unprepared coaching. He’s now at Alabama. The Crimson Tide doesn’t need any insight from the former Vol to beat Tennessee. They just got a potentially great player who once was on the opposite sideline.

To’o To’o is competing — and holding his own — with one of the best group of linebackers Saban has ever had. Saban coveted To’o To’o in the recruiting process. Nothing changed after a slight stopover in Knoxville.

“When we recruited him out of high school, we thought he was an outstanding player, a fine young man (with) a great family, great leadership qualities,” Saban said in a recent interview on The Next Round. “He certainly didn’t disappoint in the years that we saw him play at Tennessee, so we were excited to get a guy like that.”

Saban has another former elite prospect that was in need of a scenery change. Receiver Jameson Williams made the move from Ohio State and is making a strong impact during preseason practice.

“(Jameson) Williams is a guy that’s really made a big impact in this camp,” Saban said via 247Sports.

Saban doesn’t need any help scouting upcoming opponents, but To’oto’o and Williams can provide some insight into personnel for the Tennessee game and a potential College Football Playoff matchup with Ohio State.

“Maybe my perspective on this is a little different. Having been in pro football and dealing with free agency … the transfer portal, in a way, creates an opportunity for you to bring players to your team other than recruiting, a lot like free agency does,” Saban said.

Saban isn’t just filling out his roster with malcontents from other schools for the sake of filling up his scholarship numbers. Through his research with his vast network of coaches at other schools, Saban is finding positive, impactful additions to his program. Saban is making his team better in a most non-traditional way. And we don’t even need to discuss how he’s managed the influx of money from the NCAA’s decision to allow prospects to profit on their name, likeness and image. He’s adapted to that, too.

Like the transfer portal, Saban has managed to make NLI funds a reason to go to Alabama. He didn’t accidentally mention that one of his players had about $1 million in endorsements by accident at SEC Media Days. That was yet another selling point for his program.

On the surface, all of the recent changes would have seemed to derail Saban considering his old-school approach. Nope. Instead, the changes have shown Saban’s true genius: his adaptability.