While Saban is no longer the face of the SEC, he’s still making waves at SEC Media Days. This offseason, Saban passed the baton of the storied Alabama football program to Kalen DeBoer, and it’s not to say that Saban doesn’t believe in his successor, he just may not believe in his team this year. On an appearance with Greg McIlroy and Benjamin Watson Saban predicted Georgia and Texas to meet in the SEC title game.
There was a lot of roster turnover following Saban’s departure including the devastating departure of defensive back and 2023 SEC Freshman of the Year Caleb Downs to Ohio State. Saban’s specialty was coaching the secondary, so with seven players departing through the portal, he’s unable or unwilling to overlook that potentially fatal flaw.
Saban praised both Texas quarterbacks, Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning while explaining his selection, continuing, “That depth at quarterback is probably really important for them because Ewers has missed time the last couple years, a game or two, which could really affect where you end up. So I really like Texas. I think Georgia’s got a really good team, but I believe in our Alabama team, too,” Saban said. “I believe in Jalen Milroe. I just think the question marks in the secondary, until those get resolved, it’s hard to sort of jump on that bandwagon.”
Saban is making a smooth transition into media. Stating that “it’s hard to sort of jump on that bandwagon” about the program that he led to six national championships is Stephen A. Smith/ First Take-worthy type of entertainment. The only problem is that it’d never be allowed on that show because his explanation was rooted in sound, logical football analysis not somehow connected to one of Lebron’s family members or the Dallas Cowboys.
It goes without saying that Nick Saban knows SEC football as well as anyone on earth, so if he believes in his former assistant coach’s program at Georgia enough to pick them to make the SEC Championship game over his Crimson Tide, then that’s a good sign for the Bulldogs. Though, if we know Saban at all, this could be step nine of a 27-step motivation plan to help DeBoer lead Alabama back to the College Football Playoff in his first season.
Step eight came early in his explanation when he did his best to discreetly plant the seeds of a quarterback controversy in Austin with his other former assistant’s program.
“I think Texas, if their defense comes through and they can replace some of the interior people they lost that were high draft picks and all that, they’re really good offensively. And even though their quarterback has missed time – Ewers has missed time the last couple years – Manning was lights-out in the spring game. Like, Arch was like, 21 for 25 for 347 yards.”
Saban continued, “That depth at quarterback is probably really important for them because Ewers has missed time the last couple years, a game or two, which could really affect where you end up. So I really like Texas.”
That all came on the heels of him saying that Ole Miss is “gonna look more like an SEC Team this year.” A fantastic little prod at Lane Kiffin while turning up the expectations in Oxford and tamping them down in Tuscaloosa.
Saban either isn’t afraid to really let the takes fly on TV or he’s still enraptured by the 4-D game of chess that is SEC football, but either way, he’ll be fantastic on ESPN’s College Gameday because, with one little interview, he stole the show at Day 1 of SEC Media Days.