Ad Disclosure
Nick Saban praises struggling Florida defense, DC Todd Grantham
By SDS Staff
Published:
The Florida defense is widely criticized for its weekly struggles, but Alabama coach Nick Saban had some praise for the unit and its coach, embattled Gators defensive coordinator Todd Grantham.
“Well, they’re very athletic,” Saban said of the Florida defense during Sunday’s SEC Championship Game teleconference. “They got a lot of team speed. They do multiple things to pressure you, multiple coverages, try to disguise what they do extremely well.
“I used to coach with Todd a while back. Have a lot of respect for him as a signal-caller, a guy that will put together a really good game plan. I’m sure they’ll do something that will create some problems for us. We’ll have to adapt and adjust. Our players will have to do a good job of trying to execute against them because they’re a very, very good unit.”
Saban hired Grantham as a defensive line coach in 1996 at Michigan State and Grantham was on the Spartans staff through the 1998 season. Grantham left to join Jim Mora’s Indianapolis Colts staff in 1999.
Grantham is in his third year at Florida and fourth as Dan Mullen’s defensive coordinator. Saban and Grantham last coached against each other in the 2017 Alabama-Mississippi State game, in which UA won 31-24 in Starkville.
Saturday Down South reports and comments on the news around the Southeastern Conference as well as larger college football topics.
