5 former head coaches discuss what they learned after working under Nick Saban
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Alabama has become something of a haven for fired head football coaches.
Lane Kiffin, Steve Sarkisian, Mike Locksley, Bill O’Brien, and Butch Jones are probably the most prominent examples. Nick Saban mentioned in an interview with ESPN that he prefers both “young” assistants and “more experienced” ones “that have a track record of being able to do something extremely well”.
Now, Kiffin (Ole Miss), Sarkisian (Texas), Locksley (Maryland), and Jones (Arkansas State) are now leading programs once more, while O’Brien, fired by the Houston Texans in 2020, remains with the Crimson Tide as offensive coordinator.
“I’m proud of the fact that we’ve had a lot of guys here that were good people that did a really good job, and they got rewarded because of the good job that they did,” said Saban.
ESPN caught up with the aforementioned players for a feature that aired on “College GameDay” on Saturday. You can watch it at the video below:
"If it wasn't for Nick Saban …"
Five head coaches who joined the Alabama staff after being fired discuss how their time under Saban shaped them. pic.twitter.com/Fx7DRAeWBt
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 10, 2022
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
