I hate many things. People know this. So why not write about the things I hate? You’re welcome. Today’s hate is idiot fans who think Nick Saban went running from college football because of NIL and the portal.
If you’re a true college football fan, I love you. And if you hate Nick Saban and Alabama, that’s okay. But if you think old Nick left because everyone cheats now and not just him, you’re dumb. Like next-level dumb.
I hear it over and over again. Saban was run out of college football because he isn’t the only one allowed to drop bags anymore. And he couldn’t stand other schools stealing his players and recruits with NIL money. Wrong and wrong.
Saban left college football because being a head coach sucks now. And he’s done enough and created such a legacy he can just get out and say “screw it.” He doesn’t need the national titles, the money, or the headache. But let’s be clear — NIL and “dropping bags” wasn’t the issue. He could steal anyone he wanted in the portal and make them stars, as he showed with Jahmyr Gibbs, Jameson Williams, and others. Saban just got tired of the constant requests for handouts and money from everyone. And he got tired of dealing with boosters.
Saban is coming off what is arguably his best coaching year ever. He took a team that looked lost after the Texas loss and the USF game and turned them into SEC champs. He beat Kirby Smart and the two-time defending champs. He went to the playoff and lost in overtime. And his recruiting class was No. 2 in the country. Bags, NIL, the portal — he was handling it all. It just wasn’t enjoyable anymore.
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We all assume Saban and Alabama dropped bags before NIL, and that’s fine. It’s likely true. But everyone did that as well. It’s not like Alabama was able to “outbid” everyone for every recruit. Monetary enhancement to close the deal on a recruit has been around forever. What hasn’t been around forever is EVERY recruit immediately asking how much and having to constantly cater to fat cat boosters who don’t know an X from an O. That sucks. And more coaches will retire or flee to the NFL for the same reason.
So, Saban haters, please be less dumb, and I will hate you less. You may hate the man because he won national titles and beat your team or because he recruited and developed players better than anyone in the history of college football. And that’s okay. But he wasn’t run out of college football because of the new culture. I hate that dumb sentiment.
