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Nick Saban sets reasonable bar for Dallas Turner: ‘We want him to continue to develop’
By Rolando Rosa
Published:
Nick Saban recognizes the departure of Will Anderson Jr. to the NFL will be a void for Alabama’s defense to fill.
However, the head coach doesn’t want to add any extra pressure on linebacker Dallas Turner heading into this season.
During a recent press conference, Saban touched on the dynamic of Turner stepping into the void.
Anderson Jr. captured SEC Defensive Player of the Year the last 2 seasons and was the No.3 overall pick by the Houston Texans in the 2023 NFL Draft. Turner meanwhile showed promise last season with 4 sacks.
“I don’t think any player should look like they’re trying to replace any other player,” Saban said. “Will Anderson was a great player in his career here and Dallas Turner has been a very good player in his career here and we want him to continue to develop and be the best player he can be and create the most value that he can for himself and the team.”
Saban added that the coaching staff always do its best to help each player reach their full potential.
“We want to do the same thing with Chris Braswell or whoever else plays that position,” Saban said. “So we don’t kind of look at it like somebody’s replacing somebody, we look at it like what do you need to continue to help develop that guy to play well.”
No. 4 Alabama begins the season with a home contest vs. Middle Tennessee on Sept. 2 (7:30 p.m. EST/SEC Network).
