Nick Saban continues criticism of schools recruiting with NIL, calls out Deion Sanders

After delivering a sharp criticism of Texas A&M using NIL to recruit, Alabama head coach Nick Saban turned his criticisms to Deion Sanders. Saban was speaking during an event celebrating the 50-day countdown to the World Games in Birmingham when he took a direct shot at Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies by claiming they “bought every player on their team.”

Not finished with his complaints about schools using money to recruit players under the umbrella of NIL deals, Saban took aim at another high-profile head coach with big recruiting wins over the past year. The Crimson Tide’s coach claimed that Jackson State — coached by Deion Sanders — “paid a guy a million dollars” to play for their team and went unpunished by the NCAA or college football.

Nick Saban on Deion Sanders and Jackson State recruiting

“Jackson State paid a guy a million dollars last year that was a really good Division I player to come to school. It was in the paper. They bragged about it! Nobody did anything about it,” said Saban, according to AL.com’s Mike Rodak.

Saban did not mention any players by name, leaving fans to speculate exactly who he was referring to with his comments. Some believe he could be referring to high-profile recruit Travis Hunter, who Sanders was able to flip away from a Florida State commitment on signing day. Sanders was loudly critical of rumors that Jackson State paid for any recruited players, joking that “We ain’t got no money!” when speaking on the rumors.

Saban’s criticism of Jackson State comes on a night where he chose to specifically name schools that he felt have used NIL deals as a recruiting tool, as opposed to simply criticizing the state of college football under the NCAA.

Saban on Texas A&M recruiting

“I know the consequence is going to be difficult for the people who are spending tons of money to get players,” Saban said via AL.com. “You read about it, you know who they are. We were second in recruiting last year. A&M was first. A&M bought every player on their team. Made a deal for name, image and likeness. We didn’t buy one player. Aight? But I don’t know if we’re going to be able to sustain that in the future, because more and more people are doing it. It’s tough.”

Saban has been one of the most vocal opponents of the direction college football recruiting has moved since Name, Image and Likeness deals were allowed by the NCAA. While Saban maintains that he approves of the system as it enables players to make money on their work, he continues to disapprove of colleges using money as a recruiting tool.