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Chris Low shares when Nick Saban knew this season would be a ‘different challenge’
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Nick Saban had his work cut out for him coming into the 2023 season.
The legendary Alabama head coach had a new set of challenges in front of him with a young, unpolished roster after years of having consistency across all positions.
ESPN senior writer Chris Low detailed when Saban knew that he was facing a different challenge coming into the season.
“I go back to the preseason when I visited with Nick,” Low said on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning. “I think he knew going into this season it was going to be a different challenge for him and the program. He didn’t have a quarterback for the first time in 7 years that was going to be 1st or 2nd round pick, he was going to have to play some young kids in key positions, i.e. tackle, safety, he had 2 new coordinators, offense and defense.”
But Saban was also motivated coming into the season. He embraced the challenge of getting his team in championship-form, and now the team is starting to take shape after an early loss to Texas.
“He knew that this was a team that was going to improve as the year went on and not be even close to a finished product in the first part of the season,” Low said. “I think he knew, just in my conversations with him, this was going to be a different challenge and yet I could also see that he was as motivated as ever for this challenge, cause it was going to be different.”
Since the loss to Texas, Alabama has gone on to pick up big wins over Ole Miss and Texas A&M. Now the Tide are gearing up for tough games against Tennessee and LSU to round out the season and try to make their way into the SEC Championship and possibly the CFP.
This week, Alabama faces off against Arkansas.
