Alabama coach Nick Saban made a visit with ESPN’s College GameDay on Saturday as the show broadcast from Wake Forest ahead of its game against Clemson.

Saban mentioned that he was glad to see the GameDay crew back because that to him meant college football is back. Saban discussed what changed about this preseason and how the Crimson Tide have adjusted.

“It’s been a little different, uncertainty for players,” Saban told Rece Davis. “Whether the COVID issues, practice being spread out, not really having a normal fall camp, social issues, NFL issues relative to players opting out. There’s been a lot of distractions, but I’ve been really pleased with how our players have sort of adapted and adjusted and just kind of gone with the flow. I think we’ve made some improvement along the way. It’s been good for players not to have camp in a way, especially withe uncertainties, because we haven’t had to practice day in and day out. We’ve been able to give them a lot of days off, so I think that’s been good for their health and safety.”

Practice on the field, in terms of blocking and tackling and running drills is relatively the same, Saban said.

“But whether it’s wearing masks, keeping guys separated, when they’re not in drills, the protocols that we have to go through, the testing, what we do in meetings in terms of social distancing and wearing masks,” Saban said. “All those protocols, the things that have happened off the field have made a little different. But actually what happens on the field has not been really that much affected by the technical aspects of the game.”

Saban spoke ahead of Alabama’s latest scrimmage, which was set for later on Saturday.