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JD PicKell: Why Nick Saban's offseason assessment should worry other SEC coaches

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•07/12/22•

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Alabama head coach Nick Saban has not been the most positive human being when it came to his previous teams. There has always been a message voiced to the media, most of the time saying they needed to improve in one aspect or another.

On3’s J.D. PicKell recognizes that history from Saban, explaining how the expectations of the seven-time national champion are always going to be higher than others. At the end of the day, where he wants Alabama to be is why the titles have come on a consistent basis. But the message has always been on the more stern side.

“Whenever he talks about his football program, you take it with a grain of salt because he’s going by Saban’s standards,” PicKell said. “And Saban’s standards are way out of the frame. They’re like, way up here. What will usually win in college football is a little bit lower than that. Like, the job will get done a little bit below Saban’s standards. So, he will tell you, probably, the more pessimistic side of the equation when talking about his football program.”

PicKell is concerned for other SEC coaches due to comments from Nick Saban

Although the tone from Saban never seems to be optimistic, there seemed to be a different message from the Alabama head coach in the spring. PicKell pointed out that Saban said he is enjoying coaching the squad thus far, which should have other SEC teams concerned.

Point being, if one of the all-time greats feels good about where his team stands, they are meeting his already high standards. Last season was not one of Saban’s stronger squads and still saw a national championship run. Now, with a positive mindset, the sky is the limit according to PicKell.

“When talking about his program in the spring, he said ‘yeah, fun group to coach,'” PicKell said. “‘Got some good leaders, not really a whole lot of trouble makers on the team. It’s a good group.’ If I were an opposing SEC coach hearing Saban say ‘It’s a fun group to coach.’ First of all, I don’t know how many times Nick Saban has called anything fun. That’s not a knock on Nick Saban. Dude’s just about his business. He’s a pro, it is what it is. If I heard him calling this group fun to coach, I would be very concerned. Just full transparency, I would be very concerned.”